- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
You mean as in "a bunch of ancient aliens hold a grudge against whoever built that bunker, and when it was reactivated they just blew it up on general principles?"
I don't know, because in that case you'd expect the grudge-holders to have hung around to do more damage.
One possible variant would be if the stuff in the bunker is actually dangerous (i.e. corruptive, gray goo, something like that)... but in that case, too, the attackers would have probably stuck around longer just to make sure the Lirrir hadn't accidentally uncorked something likely to become a threat.
Could be like that, but was more going with the birds thinking they were in space before being that they were but did something that ended them being bomb back to the Stone age, and the enemy aliens could be some rogue group that still believe they should but haven't been able to do anything much until now, but this is just me speculating.
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- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Well yes, but in that case it invites the question of why the aliens didn't stay around. If they have a grudge against the Lirrir species then it's surprising that they settled for just showing up, shooting the bunker site up, blowing the bunker to smithereens, and leaving. Which seems to be what they did.
Thats why I said a rogue group because unless they have life extension or classic put brain in new or robot body then past bad behavior or incident just become history to most.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yeah, so that explains why the rogue group doesn't have more than one ship.
It doesn't explain why that one ship didn't hang around to at least drop a few more nukes or something.
They could have had only one or just know how to activate the complexes self destruct, or its nothing like that and they just are ai haters and know or just suspect it has one and destroy it dam whoever actually lives on the planet.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
If so, then they seem frightfully lightly armed for a group that was willing to challenge a whole planet. Were they that sure the Lirrir didn't have defenses capable of seriously threatening their ship?
They were sure they could/had to do it because they already blew up the facility for whatever reason.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
[blinks]
Now I'm just confused.
As I understand it, the event we're talking about involved an FTL ship belonging to unknown aliens showing up, approaching the Lirrir homeworld, dropping shuttlecraft on the precursor site, shooting up the local security force defending the place, setting demolitions (either a self-destruct built into the facility or a nuke or other similar device they brought with them) and leaving.
What I'm asking is:
If this was some specific group that, for whatever reason, is against the Lirrir directly, in and of themselves, if they hold some kind of centuries-old or millennia-old grudge against a race thought extinct but in reality merely bombed into the Stone Age, why wouldn't they hang around to do more damage? We compare to Homeworld, but in Homeworld when the aliens show up to interrupt your species' first round of FTL exploration trials, they start by burning your planet because of their ancient grudge. No sign of anything like that here.
You can say "what if the guys who destroyed the bunker couldn't do much more damage than that," but in that case, the raiders must have been awfully lightly armed compared to the scope of the resistance they might have encountered in theory. I doubt they had precise information on Lirrir technology before attacking, and nasty surprises like getting shot at with massed barrages of nuclear-tipped SAMs would be pretty hazardous for a single-ship operation like this, especially one that lacks the means to shoot back very hard.
Honestly...
This just seems much more like a deliberate mission to destroy the bunker in particular, by people who have little or no racial animus against the modern Lirrir.
Yeah if a ship capable of interstellar travel, carrying nuclear weapons and dudes with power armor/laser rifles, wanted to just fuck around and rack up a body count they could have done far more damage. Even if you assume they just brought the one nuke for the bunker, or even zero nukes and that was a self-destruct mechanism built into the bunker they activated, they would have at least stuck around to fry a bunch of owls with their laser rifles or push an asteroid into the biggest city.
Instead what we saw looks a hell of a lot like a commando team or some space bandits doing a smash-and-grab operation to steal something valuable and then boogie before getting overwhelmed by raw numbers or surprise technology the Lirrir might have had in their back pockets. If it was just trying to cause mayhem and destruction it would have involved burning down a lot more major population centers through the power of orbital and technological superiority.
Instead what we saw looks a hell of a lot like a commando team or some space bandits doing a smash-and-grab operation to steal something valuable and then boogie before getting overwhelmed by raw numbers or surprise technology the Lirrir might have had in their back pockets. If it was just trying to cause mayhem and destruction it would have involved burning down a lot more major population centers through the power of orbital and technological superiority.
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Ahhh meant to say that they could not have a garage for them like you said oops, but they didn't exactly warn them what they did when leaving and depending how it blew up it could have killed a lot of them, so potentially shows a lack of caring that they would die or they see it as worth the cost of innocent aliens?
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My big outstanding question is what did they have down there that was worth stealing? Civilizations that have barely figured out radio and internal combustion engines are presumably usually below the threshold of being worth the trouble for interstellar species, so what was in the bunker that a species with technology well in advance of what we currently have wanted so bad?
Well the birds have legends of being in a space age in the past and the facilities survived there collapse and in still working order by can only be after centuries of there redevelopment so either there had to be something worth stealing in the technology/monetary value, or more concerning that the facility was just dangerous in a bio weapon storage or a war ai production facility and the facility could possibly not be of their origin and was either from whoever ruled them or that it existed even before there ancestral bacteria was born?
Somewhat far out there theory: basically everyone has precursors, with precursor caches/bunkers or whatever that likely contain advanced technologies/various goodies and shinies of value. It's a common enough scenario that raids to steal these goodies when the species it belongs to discovers them is common practice.
The bunkers might not even have sent out any sort of FTL pulse or w/e, the owls couldve been monitored from within the same system for all they know, and when they started talking about the probable precursor bunker this alerted whatever monitoring ship was hidden in system and set off the raid.
The bunkers might not even have sent out any sort of FTL pulse or w/e, the owls couldve been monitored from within the same system for all they know, and when they started talking about the probable precursor bunker this alerted whatever monitoring ship was hidden in system and set off the raid.
IamtooSleepy
I came here to be an ant
I feel like the biggest question is "why now?"
If the attackers know the bunkers existed, then why would they wait until after it has been discovered by Lirrir for years before striking instead of before?
This seem to point that the attacker only know about the bunkers well after the fact, but then the quesion become why would they think the bunkers are so important?
Perhaps it just general alarm about possibility of dangerous technology might be discovered instead of any accrate knowledge. Maybe they did have an accurate knowledge about what is in the bunkers, but did not know about it survival until the Lirrir discover them. Maybe it just, I don't know, space pirate having fun. Far too much is in the unknow in addition to seeing through second hand knowledgd to make any accurate prediction.
If the attackers know the bunkers existed, then why would they wait until after it has been discovered by Lirrir for years before striking instead of before?
This seem to point that the attacker only know about the bunkers well after the fact, but then the quesion become why would they think the bunkers are so important?
Perhaps it just general alarm about possibility of dangerous technology might be discovered instead of any accrate knowledge. Maybe they did have an accurate knowledge about what is in the bunkers, but did not know about it survival until the Lirrir discover them. Maybe it just, I don't know, space pirate having fun. Far too much is in the unknow in addition to seeing through second hand knowledgd to make any accurate prediction.
Turn 6 (38AE): The Question of Mobilization
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Turn 6 (38AE): The Question of Mobilization
Budget: 1425B Or
Political Support: 50-59
Government Politics:
After taking almost ten minutes to calm down the PM after some excessive reaction that a hostile threat was detected as he likely ignored several military briefings the man did rapidly shift into action. A cabinet meeting on the matter was rapidly called to assess the situation and determine where to go from there along with ensuring that top representatives of the entire coalition were present to decide what was to be done. An actual public announcement was unilaterally delayed to pass the election both to avoid undue influence and to avoid any accusation of undue influence. In the meantime, the government has effectively provided the army a near-blank cheque toward ensuring that an alien attack could be blunted and fought off.
Calls for a general mobilization of the population have mostly been discouraged as there isn't expected to be a problem that would be solved by a few million additional infantry. Acts towards absolute military prioritization for all procurement and requisitioning have already been written with plans for their introduction called the second the new government is seated and the threat publicized. Further work towards accelerating orbital developments has been proposed but there is only so much funding that can be allocated. Current plans proposed by the government and cabinet effectively call for a near-tripling of budgets, significantly increased investments in defensive infrastructure, and dedicated research programs for new weapons.
The coalition government effectively split on the necessities of wartime mobilization with some advocating keeping current conditions rather than allowing any military industry the necessary liberties to run at extended conditions. Further measures towards introducing discipline measures to public media and stamping out any trace of defeatism have proven controversial no matter how outmatched everything we can make is. The coalition effectively has to an extent embodied the concept of a clean war that could be fought by increasing funding programs rather than a true existential war that is likely to come to our doorstep in the next few decades. The strong increase in funding alone is expected to significantly be worth it but there is a massive degree of resistance to more effective social programs.
The officer corps for their part have embraced a more realistic approach with measures already started to increase the nuclear force by more than forty fold with warheads mounted to most platforms. Plutonium production alone is expected to increase to several tons per month to meet the essential demands of the army. Further industrial work towards reinforcing the nuclear power grid and ensuring that partial nuclear attack can be endurable have been proposed as tentative measures but even these are unlikely to go far enough. The submarine program that has just been started has been prioritized for mass production with ninety-six boats expected to be laid down for providing supporting fires in the eventuality of losing orbit.
The incoming PDL-PPP government itself has continued these policies as the effective consumption of the Green party has changed little for state priorities. Economic growth and the extent of education are going to be essential if predictions are slower and the current matters settle into a long war. Excessive mobilization now must to an extent be cautioned against in case the situation does not rapidly worsen but slowing military production will introduce a period of weakness. There is effectively a considerable divide on how far to exactly go and the question of how much of the economy needs to be transferred to total military production is both controversial and political. A decisive mobilization can fully equip a few million men and a few dozen ships in space but none of the systems made can stand up to the enemy and may be picked apart.
Mobilization Options
[]Small Scale Mobilization: Space and space-associated production will be stressed and needs to be expanded as rapidly as possible. Focusing the current program towards increasing the launch of cargo to orbit along with ensuring that the civilian economy is contracted out rather than focused towards production can keep the current rate of technical progress going. New assets are only going to be slowly built up with natural growth the likely primary factor of enterprise expansion unless critical. (Negligible Economic Stress) (Slow Climb in MIC Output) (2000B Or Budget Injection, same budget increase 40AE) (Politically Divisive)
[]Economic Mobilization: Avoiding large-scale callups and instead focusing on the necessities of increasing economic cooperation will be essential the Type-35 missile system along with the Type-36 APC is already promising but needs to be universally issued. Ensuring that manufacturers can have whatever assets they need will rapidly accelerate production increases and allow for the mobilization of far more soldiers. For orbital applications dedicated facilities for the pre-fabrication of entire reactor and power systems will be made along with a strong increase in development funding. Current technologies are not enough to unilaterally fight the enemy but they are not invincible. (Some Economic Stress) (Rapid Climb in MIC Output) (4000B Or Budget Injection, same budget increase 40AE) (Limited Expansion of Conscription)
[]War Economics: The production of new weapon systems must be raised at all costs with few exceptions. Every industry that can push out capable weapons must be refitted towards the production of capable weapons. Current enterprises are going to be forced to operate in longer operational regimes with expanded hiring to increase the utilization of equipment, improving domestic production considerably. Funding efforts will go to that end with the effective recruitment of entire industrial plans into the military-industrial system to further raise production. Whatever we make now may not be able to match the equipment of the enemy but there will be a sufficient number of weapons. (Economic Stress) (Very Rapid Climb in MIC Output) (6000B Or Budget Injection, same budget increase 40AE) (Universal Conscription)
Economic Procurement Changes:
[]Maintain Current Standards: Expanding the amount of funding spent without going for ambitious and wasteful programs is a decision that can be made. New weapons do not have to be expensive and massively divided in a developmental approach. Focusing instead on ensuring that contracts are sufficiently generous for technical work and that state enterprises can take on some of the technical burdens can produce its gains. This will mildly raise costs and ensure that the number of bids increases through increased profits. (Keeps technical costs the same, moderately increases program costs)
[]Universally Fund Prototypes: Any near-viable technology needs to be brought to low-scale production for development if nothing else. Any procurement program can immediately be funded to the point of producing viable prototypes even if this moderately increases costs. Programs will still be guided through at a moderate pace but enterprises and businesses will effectively receive funds for the development of new systems automatically once a program is opened. (Approximately doubles technical costs, keeps program costs the same)
[]Extend Funding Contracts: A baseline of funding for reasonable paths into production along with formally pushing for parallel programs will significantly improve designs available and ensure that systems are developed as rapidly as possible. Trials will be shifted towards the two most viable applications to be placed into low-rate production with final trials conducted to select the winner. Parallel production will not be pursued but accelerating the path to procurement can significantly increase the rate of new production. Further prototype work will be near-universally funded, especially for novel technical applications, driving applications forward. (Approximately quadruples technical costs, moderately increases program costs)
Politics:
Fleet Crew Training Programs: Every soldier in space must be able to perform damage control duties and resist any hostile action, even if all they can do is harden their respective stations. Deepening the number of drills and increasing simulator work will take some time but will more than pay off in case of an attack. Even some old drills on resisting hostile boarding will be revisited, ensuring that at least otherwise minimally trained crew know how to properly lay fire down corridors and selectively blow out hull sections. (50B Or Cost) (100)
The average sailor in orbit has proven to be unable to meet minimal standards of resisting an attack in exercises, much less being able to take the initiative in boarding operations. Some lack of training was expected but this further extends towards militarization and close combat operations where operating under internal vacuum conditions is almost four times slower than would be the target. Furthermore, work towards hardening stations and ensuring that every installation is capable of some minimal resistance has effectively not been done due to a culture of laxness in the orbital force. Already discipline has strongly increased and officers are explicitly briefed on a far wider variety of drills and exercises to ensure that even the worst of conscripts can be motivated. The combat force itself has been far better trained with most exercises completable at simulated stations with only moderate delays and incompetancies.
Learn Lirrir: Learning the Lirrir language for two of the larger republics will take some time as their grammar is effectively symbolic rather than consistent with reasonable norms. Effectively memorizing a few thousand symbols and their crude pronunciation for several larger republics will be an involved task but one that can be overcome. In case of eventual diplomatic contact, being able to understand them without an interpreter or with a local one can even be reassuring. (76)
The pronunciation of the Lirrir language is a consistent and persistent headache when it comes to even interpreting a single tongue. The trade tongue alone that shares significant loan words across most planetary languages is a tonal nightmare that took a few weeks of committed study to entirely memorize, if not to the point of reliable pronunciations. Learning the text itself has been far simpler as the memorization of a few thousand symbols in isolation is a simple if comparatively uninteresting task. The only issue is that the nature of these symbols is uncertain as translated children's programing with relative locations has been sparse and contradictory in writing advice. Current further studies have centered around learning the tongue of the Yaee Republic along with the Terhas Grand Kingdom as both were the first studied and some of the first adopters of radio.
Procurement Decisions: Generally phases go from you wanting something, to a prototype, to low-rate production(LRP), to full-scale production. Once you have a prototype or something in LRP, you can request changes to it to bring it into line with requirements either military or political
Military Trucks: Further testing of the prototypes for Milta's truck system has effectively confirmed most expectations. The machine has few issues holding the loads it claims to hold but the engine severely limits its top speed offroad along with causing issues in hill climbing performance. The company representative has promised that these issues can be fixed if given time along with the implementation of a new high compression engine but that has been promised in years rather than on the first batch of trucks. Production programs have led to the construction of two new factories as stipulated in the contract with one going to replace civilian end production as Milta's primary facility shifts towards military orders. The vehicle itself drives roughly and hasn't been liked by its drivers, but it's not a death trap like the Type-14 and is massively more capable for routine haulage. (150B Or Or Spent) (37) (Entering Production as the Type-38 Truck) (Procurement Complete)
Transport Aircraft: The initial GA prototype effectively delivered an enlarged maritime weather aircraft with some additional features. The wing root has been shifted up to improve stability and the primary power now comes from two twin-bladed turbofans rather than simpler turbine and propeller engines. Takeoff runs with the plane have shown it to be moderately sluggish and underweight with a limited capacity to do one-engine takeoffs while under full load, but that if a limitation of runway safety design. The cockpit incorporates effectively direct clones of civilian systems with an all-glass cockpit that can automate almost all flight functions. The representative however has bluntly said that the project will go over budget as an entirely new facility needs to be established to produce segments in any significant numbers. The money spent would be almost double the initial expectation overall, but some costs can be recouped in lowered per-unit costs. (51) (20B Or Spent) (Prototype)
[]Accept the Contract: General Aerospace has been upfront that they cannot deliver the plane on a low budget and are willing to make a contract compensating for that by lowering per-unit prices. It is likely their expectation that a similar aircraft can be rapidly adapted to private sector service for cargo transportation, allowing the models made at the cost of manufacturing to be recouped. The budget plan is solid and outside of issues with safety features when at the edge of the cargo-runway operating regime the prototype works. Scaling to larger scale production can introduce issues as parts are made at scale, but that does not disqualify the bid (450B Or) (Finishes Procurement Next Turn) (Funds Production of 600 Units)
[]Insist on Modifications: The plane needs to meet all requirements at all stages of the envelope and comparatively easy technical developments can bridge the gap. Getting General Aerospace to meet all safety requirements may take some time and refinement but it can certainly be done. Work on a second prototype with improved systems integration along with options for increasing engine power can be commissioned. The program itself will insist on a fully functional prototype that meets all requirements, but there is the risk that GA bows out. (30B Or) (New Prototype) (Politically Prefered)
[]Go Towards Other Bids: General aerospace has overrun sufficiently that any case in the courts would be laughed out for the sheer extent of over-bidding. The company itself has already been paid for technical development and something of an equitable break can be achieved without too many issues. Re-evaluating the program will take some time as more funding is poured in for prototype testing but someone can make a functional aircraft without more than doubling the budget. (Small Chance of Lawsuit)
Second Generation Mining Ships(Habitation Programs): Technical programs for the development of a new universal habitation module have considerably accelerated both with the threat to the planet and a series of new technologies. Direct clones of immersive VR systems based on DNI linkages have already been designed for the pods with personal space designed in such a way as to maintain the section's structural integrity. The hexagonal section is expected to be inserted into a conventional pressure hull with a diameter of nine meters. In this section at every level, six hexagonal pods are inserted in an alternating grid to preserve space, packing in thirty-six crew at a length of only six meters for the primary habitation section. Personal storage is done in the space between the hexagonal pods allowing for a compact unitary module. Already the design has entered terrestrial testing with a design clone commissioned in orbit to undergo testing and vacuum rating as a combined sixteen by nine-meter spherical module incorporating a canteen, officers cabins, and an entertainment deck. The question of mining methodology remains open, with a wide range of ideas on how to actually harvest ore. (50B Or Spent) (CASP) (109)
[]Asteroid Chunk Capture: The arguably simplest way of harvesting ore is the individual processing of small chunks of rock. Breaking apart a large rock with explosives, some of the particles will be of moderate size and capable of being harvested. From there the rocks will be heated at a vacuum with a harvest of the off-gas produced along with a mild centrifugal effect to produce easy-to-melt ores at specific temperatures. The methodology will be power-consuming and slow compared to others as even breakage is not expected but a near-total processing of a metallic rock can be achieved with few issues. (Already Tested in Zero-G Refineries)
[]Microwave Powder Harvesting: Using high-intensity microwaves to break off a rock before final processing is a theoretical approach towards on-site mining. Instead of cracking a rock with explosives a strong microwave emitter can be utilized to break apart material and provide mostly smaller particles for further processing. This effectively clones heating elements from other applications to be used directly on the surface of a mined asteroid. Some risk still exists in that the craft will be attached to the asteroid as it breaks it apart but the system itself is believed to be acceptably reliable.
[] On-Site Pulverization: Taking the simplest way possible and extending the mining ship considerably with a frontal pulverization module can save significant amounts of time when mining. Large rollers will process chunks of ore to work them down into a fine powder that can then be centrifugally heated, processed, and off-gassed. The issues of requiring an effective onboard foundry are universal anyway and working metals into combined ingots that need further separation is as effective as any other method of processing. The issue with extending the ship will be that more crew and tonnage will be required to keep the system working, but with faster harvesting the increase in production will more than compensate for it.
FTL Test Bed(Test Programs): Despite slower progress for certain programs and an effectively incompetently done electronics integration the generation of an exotic particle has been confirmed at scale with an experimental torus. The module itself has failed to produce anywhere near the amount needed due to the strong influence of gravity even well outside lunar orbit, but it has demonstrated that the technology is viable. Upscaling systems involved will take time and likely another testbed to provide the means for ensuring that particle stability can be maintained. These Branons are the primary aspect of faster-than-light travel being explored but the question remains of how exactly to design the FTL system. (50B Or Spent) (CASP) (95) (CASP Parallel Programs Below) (Select As Many As Desired, Independent Rolls)
[]Fully External Drive: The easiest and simplest way to construct the drive will be to build a massive donut at the far end of the ship so that it is covered by the shadow shield and as large as possible to enable ease of generation. This will theoretically speed up charging to less than a week for the planned size of the craft and ensure that a massive reserve of Branons can be generated. The largest concern with the scheme, as it is, will be the limitations in protection as the entire ring is practically exposed.
[]Supported Drive-Ring: Armoring the external ring is technically a misnomer in that a thin sheet of composite boron fiber will be used to cover a smaller system. The weight addition will still be notable but immediate spikes of possible hard radiation or adverse events that can come from the transition will be minimized. Nothing has so far been observed to damage the drives when placed under smaller-scale testing but even some protection can go a long way toward reducing the risk of being stranded at a distant star.
[]Keep the Drive Internal: Burying the entire drive deep in the craft is going to strongly limit what it can do. Recharge times of almost a month are expected with severe limitations present in thermal management. We do not currently know what the cross-dimensional space is like and ensuring that the crew's one-way home will not destroy itself is the highest priority for a test craft. Keeping the drive itself internal to a general hull form will also increase the durability of the craft to laser fire if a fully protected scheme is pursued, ensuring that it can function as an incredibly poor combat craft in an emergency.
Hibernation Systems: Placing a series of hibernation pods that can be slotted into a section will raise ship weights and effectively be the first large-scale instance of the technology being used in space. It is expected to effectively form a compact way of mass crew storage for longer journeys if a minimal crew is needed at any one time or if something goes wrong with the ship itself. The system will effectively be built directly below the primary crew habitation module and based around compact sliding drawers with linkages for nutrients and medications to maintain useful conditions. Nothing about the technology is atypical but some of the crew have found the system to be too coffin-like for comfort. (Moderate Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (20B Or Spent) (86) (Universal)
A two-meter module has been effectively incorporated into the base structure of the habitation module incorporating thin slabs on which the entire crew can rest. Separated from the main module by a vacuum-rated bulkhead the entire crew can be packed onto thin slabs after being linked to nutrition and medication for prolonged habitation. The space is an uncomfortable forty-centimeter by seventy-five-centimeter "tray" but through it the entire crew can be stored. Some complaints have been made by enlisted for its similarity to morgue equipment but that is not expected to be significant given that crew hibernating are not going to be conscious of their surroundings.
Double Cores: Installing a small high-temperature gas core with power production in the one-megawatt range is important for operating passive systems and running the electrical RCS systems, especially in the case of a primary core power failure. The goal of the project will be the design of a light reactor core capable of operating with a minimal degree of radiation emission and a consistent production of electrical power. This will improve fuel efficiency by allowing the primary reactor to be shut off when not necessary, extending time on the station, and providing emergency power. (Moderate Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (10B Or Spent) (113) (Universal)
Cloning an emergency power system has come with a design from a theoretical submarine-based gas cooled solid core system. Technical work on higher density and higher efficiency reactors has already been conducted with new programs easily derivative. Power delivered from the core has been tuned down through lowering the rate of fission and introducing far greater fractions of burnable poison allowing a single fueling to effectively last for a lifespan of twenty years. Further improvements in modularity and a separated cooling system have also been made, allowing the simple Brayton cycle system to directly tap into reactor power with an acceptable cold loop temperature for radiators. Supply limits limit the core to just 10 MW but that will be more than enough to operate all emergency systems with minimal maintenance.
Third-Generation Fiber Lasers: A limited degree of self-defense capacity can be built into the craft by integrating further iterated fiber-laser systems for close-in defensive work. The lasers themselves will take a small portion of power production and act as a combined point defense system against missile attacks, providing a degree of protection. Further, the lasers can be used for long-distance communication pulses in a way that is not dependent on most forms of communication and can allow for the neutralization of debris. (Moderate Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (30B Or Spent) (84) (Universal)
The effective fielding of a new generation of pumped lasers has been pushed forward despite their strong limitations. The largest issue with such laser systems has been their lower efficiency with current designs doing little to fix that problem specifically. The largest advantage of an older-style pumped laser comes in its resistance to high-temperature environments, allowing a massive reduction in the size and vulnerability of radiators. Current designs call for the use of a liquid holonium arc gas with a synthetic diamondoid envelope to resist the temperatures and pressures involved. Alexandrite gain media is expected to pump at the 410nm band with a 750nm transition wavelength that is then frequency doubled to the limit of current lensing techniques. Losses from the process along with cavity reflection and emission point issues will lower the overall system efficiency to only twenty percent but with the infinite power on board, it will make a light and viable combat laser. A side-mounted system is expected to be mounted midships with two 4m mirror-based turrets utilized for close-in defense.
Integrated FTL Comms: The continued development of FTL comms has allowed their minimization to a unit of only twenty tons in weight with a data transmission capability of up to ten kb per second. These units, if fit to all classes of ship, can serve to significantly improve crew morale at a comparatively negligible cost by allowing non-critical messages to be sent home and simple text-based conversations maintained. More relevantly the presence of faster-than-light communications will allow the ships to immediately report any new findings improving overall communication. (Large Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (50B Or Spent) (Nat 1) (Universal)
Next-generation communications units have been developed with a broader excitation band allowing for significant gains in performance to be made. The units come at a significant additional cost but transmissions in the order of fifty KB per second are possible on a clear relative line. This offers a massive advantage in that narrowband voice communication can be made available to command staff and significantly improve combat responsiveness. The new units are a bit heavier and more technically complex than the expected design but the large gains in efficiency have driven their adoption.
Combined Sensor Systems(Visual): Building a unified pod capable of assessing a system for a distance is technically secondary to testing an FTL drive, but the hull will be used for a massive number of tasks anyway. Building a compact module capable of establishing the orbital plane and scanning the local environment for planetary bodies and significant asteroids in a limited amount of tonnage is going to take time, but the sensors pioneered for the role can easily be applied to outer system detection and the basis for a more militarized system. (Not Included) (40B Or Spent) (18) (FTL Explorer)
The closest comparison made to the new visual sensor system is effectively an upscalled passive detection system used for anti-aircraft work. The system itself is a direct clone with improved capability for detection in the IR wavelengths but it falls massively short of the ambitious goals of the program. It can likely detect any drive capable of the outputs the alien enemy has been observed to use but it falls short of every other parameter. It is negligible as a navigational tool and only has some value as a passive sensor. Lunos for its part has promised that improvements would be made but those will come too late compared to the necessity of ordering new hulls. The system itself has been repurposed for covert anti-orbital and defense work but it is useless for its design role.
ELINT Equipment: Borrowing systems from pre-war espionage operations and several recommendations of the intelligence department a comprehensive electronic listening system can be developed. This is an entirely passive system with negligible emissions outside of power use, allowing a degree of covert monitoring. An onboard quantum computer is expected to be useful for dealing with possible encryption on site along with providing enough of a suite to analyze contacts along housing a small analysis team. (Significant Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (50B Or Spent) (17) (FTL Explorer)
A direct clone of the equipment that existed on pre-war reconnaissance aircraft with a degree of signal interception and decryption equipment has been designed on a conventional basis. The inclusion of a full-sized quantum computer has rendered the system massive compared to expectations and a major challenge to fit onboard. It can carry six crew as an additional mounted pod ahead of the main crew section but before the bridge. Radio interception capability is more than adequate to intercept signals from a known source to provide a perspective from different historical points but cross-system detection is impossible. In the system, any strong radio emitter will be rapidly detected but it would take an absurd series of coincidences to stumble upon anyone openly transmitting on the radio.
Long Burn Space-Ships(Thruster Systems): The development of new engine systems for the CASP program has effectively separated into several discrete programs with specialized drives conceived of for each craft. The LBSS has received a unified drive capable of delivering a highly efficient impulse of twenty-five thousand seconds using hydrogen fuel to enable some commonality and refueling from established outposts. As to travel drives for both the FTL and Mining ships, a general design for a ten thousand-second drive has been replicated for both, operating on common hydrogen fuel. Electrical efficiencies have failed to be increased on either with the program running considerably over budget and slower than expected. The ten thousand second drive is effectively ready to fly but the more ambitious drive will take some technical refinement to avoid thermal failures. (40) (80B Or Spent) (CASP) (CASP Thruster Decisions Below)
[]Reactors Now: The power system for each craft outside the LBSS is a nearly three GWe dusty plasma power core with a massive power system laying it down now can allow limited orbital testing before being paired with craft. Development work on serial reactor production along with radiators will take up two small shipyards with LRP examples expected to be produced by the end of the next year. Full-scale production is likely to take until 40AE but they will be available in numbers and ideally partially refined. The reactor represents the most challenging aspect of the entire design and starting production now will minimize delays. (100B Or) (Two Small Slips Used)
[]Assemble the Parts: The only remaining aspects of the combined system CASP craft that is still theoretical are the mission sections and the drive for the LBSS. To accelerate the construction of new spaceships as much as possible components that are known to be common can start being constructed in slipways and welded together. A crew quarters can exist for a few months as a ship frame is built to support it. Further, as the ships are built around an external frame design scheme there is little reason to slow production of most systems. If technical programs can continue on pace it may be possible to achieve the first FTL jump before the 42 AE election. (200B Or) (Four Small Slips Used) (Commits to 2 FTL Ships and Eight Mining Ships)
[]Hold Off: Every technology going into the ships currently built is experimental in the extreme with only the drives themselves being known technology. Waiting for smaller-scale testing to be completed can prevent any massive engineering problems from getting into final designs. The technical advisors are currently confident that they can deliver every system in a functional state outside some specifics on the FTL ring but caution still has some value. Waiting to lay down what would be a massive expense can ensure that a surge of funding is better allocated as more slipways will be available. (No New Costs)
Anti-Orbital SSBN: Building out long-duration submarines capable of maintaining retaliation capacity in case of a sudden invasion or loss of orbitals is going to be an essential aspect of planetary defense. Committing to a massive program of construction will ensure that any boats caught in the initial ambush will be able to sustainably hide in the deep ocean. Independent supply capacity and long-duration nuclear reactors will have to be pioneered along with the capacity for building new higher-capacity pressure hulls. The program itself is going to be expensive and prolonged but there is nothing as important for national survival as the capacity to return fire against orbital dominance with hundreds of bomb-pumped lasers. (34)
[]Dive Depth Priority: The depth of diving along with the depth of launch provides more protection from enemy fire than any possible feature of a submarine. Prioritizing the design of a high-hardness HSA pressure hull along with the capacity to launch from as deep as possible will be the largest priority of the general program. The larger missiles required along with the increased scale of the hulls will limit production numbers produced but in case of enemy invasion, at least a few will be able to hide on the ocean floor. As an added benefit moving submarines out of the current capability of torpedoes will significantly improve performance against any theoretical ordinance.
[]Capacity Prioritization: A requirement for missiles to be carried in twin stacked cells with an orbital capable capacity of seventy-two independent systems per boat will be required to saturate theoretical point defenses. A focus on constructing a wider submarine along with a more technically capable boat capable of returning fire to the orbitals will save costs per missile stored and ready. An effective reduction in crew per missile system will also enable some long-term savings as fewer submarines can maintain defense capacity. A conventional hull form is going to be required for current production methods but more complex missiles can bridge the gap towards new requirements.
[]Mass Production: We need defensive weapons now and not in a theoretical period after HEA developments and new style hull fabrication is available. A basic high-quality steel hull pushed out of the yards along with a simple system built around a small crew with most aspects automated will allow the program to expand rapidly. Several yards can already construct a submarine to adequate pre-war standards and a patrol half a kilometer down is expected to be sufficient for most orbit-to-surface theories of anti-submarine warfare. Orders for hulls will be placed immediately with gas core reactor production following immediately afterward to accelerate production.
New Programs(Currently 5 Running, can select up to six concurrent programs)
[]Second Generation Infantry Equipment: Committing to an overhaul of the infantry equipment is a decision that can be made, but there is little funding to go around. Ensuring that at least the infantry has something resembling old systems of powered assistance, basic thermal imagers, and a rifle system capable of incorporating it will go a long way towards improving quality. New light anti-tank systems and armor will be developed to provide the average soldier with previously unmatched capabilities. Deciding on the degree of funding will be an open question but the program should be comparatively cheap despite the scale. (10B Or Expected)
[]Standardization of Orbital Troops: A space suit has been issued for the crew to operate in orbit along with some elements of a thrust system but entirely new systems are needed to accomplish basic military tasks. The current preferred format by the army is a type of unified pressure garment with a variety of systems integration for further models. A true heavy boarding suit is almost certainly beyond the budget or desired capacity but speculative bids can be put out to enterprises and companies on the topic. (20B Or Expected)
[]Heavy Infantry Prototypes: Continued development work on improved infantry systems and direct DNI systems has generated several curious proposals. Breaking from the conventional Seelie form in favor of a more compact chassis with thicker armor can be designed. Both terrestrial and off-world applications of the system are expected to enhance the performance of local systems, simplifying life support and protection systems by increasing compactness. (???B Or Expected)
[]Light Vehicles: A simple 4x4 with a diesel engine and the capacity to mount small arms protection and basic crew-served weapons. The program in question will be more of a productive capability as automobile manufacturing is still limited with few experienced programs. Some have even suggested making the requirements amenable towards an electric vehicle to enable a new all-electric army. The scale of the program and necessary factory increases to accomplish a full transition for the army will leave the program expensive but necessary. (50B Or Expected)
[]Space Capable Buggies: Making a buggy capable of carrying a fireteam and traversing a low-gravity lunar environment represents several massive technical challenges. Current examples have derived more from rovers but the technical work involved has left them deeply insufficient for most duties. The actual system would be a simple electric wide chassis focused on stability and the capacity for avoiding injury in case of a low gravity accident from lack of ground pressure. Weapon mountings on the system are going to be secondary with the vehicle serving more as a transport and towing platform. (50B Or Expected)
[]New MBT: There is currently no tank in production nor the capacity to build a tank in any form, massively limiting the ability of the army to even utilize its doctrine. The arguments over what to put in a tank are just as varied as the proposals made by both enterprises and businesses of what to build into a tank with ideas ranging from a rapid production mobilization tank to a true successor to the Type-38 chassis. Opening the program is expected to be expensive and take time but will be essential for any terrestrial military operations. (250B Or Expected)
[]Multirole VTOL: Experience in producing aircraft for either naval or terrestrial purposes has effectively been dissipated as the enterprises involved have been broken up for the better part of the last two decades. Starting with new engine designs being pushed into production along with dedicated plants for the next generation of radar-absorbent materials will likely take a decade as technology needs to be developed to a point that it can meet all operational requirements. Core design requirements for the program itself are immensely political as the differences between a naval-capable airframe and one that the army wants are immense. (400B Or Expected across several funding phases)
[]Surveillance Drones: A long-distance loitering drone capable of linking towards uplinks in orbit and cruising to most points of the planet from either a catapult launch or airfield will be essential for observational capacity. The platform itself is almost certain to later be refitted for the carrying of ordinance but that is considered to be secondary relative to the massive technical demands of long loiter time and new electronic systems. Compact high-magnification thermals and optics will be the core product of the program no matter what bid is taken, providing a new basis for spotting fires. (40B Or Expected)
[]Loitering Munitions: Autonomous systems with high loiter times built based on disposable munitions have a limited effect on protected vehicles but are perfectly adequate in an anti-personnel role. Effective simplified systems with total autonomous control can be easily developed and produced in the thousands as a field expedient source of fires and suppression for concentrations of manpower. Some proposals have been made for mounting proper kinetic ordinance for APS penetration but those are primarily going towards heavier systems. Core aspects of the program are almost certain to focus on a heavier degree of automation and eliminating communications and jamming vulnerabilities. (40B Or Expected)
[]Next Generation Fleet Combatant: Long-duration patrol missions with a new generation of nuclear vessels with a high-efficiency gas core-mhd system can be designed to significantly improve capability. Massive onboard power systems can go towards the driving of electrical propulsion and laser anti-missile weaponry. Extending the old system of VLS cells and reducing the overall radar and physical profile of the ships will allow a massive improvement in strike and anti-aircraft capacity. The class itself is expected to mostly replace most surface ships on the planet with a follow-on class of LCS expected to allow for marine capacity. (400B Or Expected across several funding phases)
[]Militarized Orbital Frigate: Instead of continued operations of frigates that were practically obsolete when they were constructed a new class can be laid down. Modernizing basic electronic systems towards new phased arrays and incorporating the latest generation of Gas core-MHD systems in a unified propulsion bus will be one of the core aspects of the program to provide sufficient thrust under combat conditions. MPD drives are almost expected for strategic travel requirements allowing the ships to flexibly patrol the inner system with a reasonable degree of acceleration. Technical requirements for the frigates are more expected to center around deep salvos of missiles and laser defensive systems forming a component of fleet actions. (250B Or Expected across several funding phases)
[]Militarized Orbital Destroyer: The capacity to fit a particle beam into a ship is an entirely open question and one that is going to have to be answered. There is so far no concrete role for a heavy orbital competent capable of returning fire in an anti-shipping role. Designs for it range from a heavy missile carrier with liquid nuclear core missile busses to allow for closer range engagements to a heavy slow combatant with armor designed around firing heavy particle beams. Technical development will be the core aspect of the program with few examples of the class expected to be constructed before a refined follow-on is made. (300B Or Expected across several funding phases)
Political/Personal Reactions(Pick up to 2):
[]Large-Scale Exercises(Army): Testing doctrinal systems through large-scale exercises can be done through a bit of funding and working with the vehicles available. The fact is that current lighter elements are likely to remain for the next few decades leaving an open question of how exactly to use them. Using the technicals will cause consistent grumbling but the force may as well be trained on them. (Small Political Support Cost) (20B Or Cost)
[]Orbital Defense Exercises: Working around ensuring that orbit can be defended is going to be challenging with so few ships available but maneuvers need to be conducted now rather than later. Testing with the old conversions along with exercising the defensive command groundside will be valuable to spot any problems with the current system and improve training. Large-scale defense exercises have always been ignored but doing them now can start shaking off the proverbial rust. (Small Political Support Cost) (40B Or Cost)
[]Harden Force Discipline: Ensuring that the enlisted have some morale and spine to them has been a continuously challenging problem. Current problems with discipline and a degree of harassment of conscripts are unbecoming of the force and a significant limitation on their performance. Setting stringent standards and increasing punishments can deter some of the worst actors while keeping force morale high. Further, work towards ensuring that soldiers are told correct information will be started to harden resistance in the face of a far superior enemy. (10B Or) (Small Political Support Cost)
[]Rank Structure Reform: Limiting the advancement of those in administrative roles and ensuring a full separation of the command system can keep the combat arm functional. The officers who are going to be promoted to captains in the orbital forces need to have a history of combat command, not administrating oxygen on a cylinder. This will cause some discontent with the current officers in administrative roles but they should never have expected to be promoted. (Significant Political Costs)
[]Conscription for the Colonies: Opening up positions for conscripts to man colonial, asteroid and orbital industries will massively reduce operational expenses. Conscripts are the cheapest source of workers for the colonies and by increasing the positions available risks towards them getting into combat positions can be minimized. Passing it will take some parliamentary maneuvering but given the current crisis that is expected to come easily. (Additional 100B from Orbital Assets)
[]Final Defense Bunkers: A bunker network is of questionable value given the degree of ordinance that would be used for a full-scale landing but several political figures and younger officers have advocated for it. These would largely be facilities with dug-in command infrastructure to provide robust centers of organization in case of a moderate scale or restrained invasion. The program itself is unfortunately popular for reasons beyond simple logic and avoiding funding it is a fast route towards political issues. (50B Or Costs) (Political Costs if not Taken)
[]Study Wartime Issues(Select Specific Program): Committing some time to do a full literature report on a critical wartime piece of equipment and how it exactly failed is going to be a massive crawl through the archives but someone needs to do it. Working for a few continuous days on pulling the papers will take some extra leisure time but it's expected if one is to understand anything of what they are doing. (-5 to +15 depending on roll) (Wartime Equipment Only)
[]Study Theoretical Proposals(Select Specific Program): Taking the time to directly analyze theoretical designs and technical aspects of procurement can improve the performance of several systems. Without a wide basis of understanding little can be done and attempting to interpret theoretical concepts remains an open question. Pouring over a few hundred papers to get a surface-level understanding is still a good use of time especially for matters as important as procurement. (-3 to +7 depending on roll) (All Equipment)
[]Enforce Democracy: The current government has broken from the democratic principle through the alienation of the average worker and persistent failure to meet their needs. Instead of the army allowing the government to exist movements can be made to change over the green government and hold new elections to enable a transition to democratic methods. This is currently untested and it's questionable if elections would change anything but it remains a constitutional capability.
12-Hour Moratorium Vote by Plan
Budget: 1425B Or
Political Support: 50-59
Government Politics:
After taking almost ten minutes to calm down the PM after some excessive reaction that a hostile threat was detected as he likely ignored several military briefings the man did rapidly shift into action. A cabinet meeting on the matter was rapidly called to assess the situation and determine where to go from there along with ensuring that top representatives of the entire coalition were present to decide what was to be done. An actual public announcement was unilaterally delayed to pass the election both to avoid undue influence and to avoid any accusation of undue influence. In the meantime, the government has effectively provided the army a near-blank cheque toward ensuring that an alien attack could be blunted and fought off.
Calls for a general mobilization of the population have mostly been discouraged as there isn't expected to be a problem that would be solved by a few million additional infantry. Acts towards absolute military prioritization for all procurement and requisitioning have already been written with plans for their introduction called the second the new government is seated and the threat publicized. Further work towards accelerating orbital developments has been proposed but there is only so much funding that can be allocated. Current plans proposed by the government and cabinet effectively call for a near-tripling of budgets, significantly increased investments in defensive infrastructure, and dedicated research programs for new weapons.
The coalition government effectively split on the necessities of wartime mobilization with some advocating keeping current conditions rather than allowing any military industry the necessary liberties to run at extended conditions. Further measures towards introducing discipline measures to public media and stamping out any trace of defeatism have proven controversial no matter how outmatched everything we can make is. The coalition effectively has to an extent embodied the concept of a clean war that could be fought by increasing funding programs rather than a true existential war that is likely to come to our doorstep in the next few decades. The strong increase in funding alone is expected to significantly be worth it but there is a massive degree of resistance to more effective social programs.
The officer corps for their part have embraced a more realistic approach with measures already started to increase the nuclear force by more than forty fold with warheads mounted to most platforms. Plutonium production alone is expected to increase to several tons per month to meet the essential demands of the army. Further industrial work towards reinforcing the nuclear power grid and ensuring that partial nuclear attack can be endurable have been proposed as tentative measures but even these are unlikely to go far enough. The submarine program that has just been started has been prioritized for mass production with ninety-six boats expected to be laid down for providing supporting fires in the eventuality of losing orbit.
The incoming PDL-PPP government itself has continued these policies as the effective consumption of the Green party has changed little for state priorities. Economic growth and the extent of education are going to be essential if predictions are slower and the current matters settle into a long war. Excessive mobilization now must to an extent be cautioned against in case the situation does not rapidly worsen but slowing military production will introduce a period of weakness. There is effectively a considerable divide on how far to exactly go and the question of how much of the economy needs to be transferred to total military production is both controversial and political. A decisive mobilization can fully equip a few million men and a few dozen ships in space but none of the systems made can stand up to the enemy and may be picked apart.
Mobilization Options
[]Small Scale Mobilization: Space and space-associated production will be stressed and needs to be expanded as rapidly as possible. Focusing the current program towards increasing the launch of cargo to orbit along with ensuring that the civilian economy is contracted out rather than focused towards production can keep the current rate of technical progress going. New assets are only going to be slowly built up with natural growth the likely primary factor of enterprise expansion unless critical. (Negligible Economic Stress) (Slow Climb in MIC Output) (2000B Or Budget Injection, same budget increase 40AE) (Politically Divisive)
[]Economic Mobilization: Avoiding large-scale callups and instead focusing on the necessities of increasing economic cooperation will be essential the Type-35 missile system along with the Type-36 APC is already promising but needs to be universally issued. Ensuring that manufacturers can have whatever assets they need will rapidly accelerate production increases and allow for the mobilization of far more soldiers. For orbital applications dedicated facilities for the pre-fabrication of entire reactor and power systems will be made along with a strong increase in development funding. Current technologies are not enough to unilaterally fight the enemy but they are not invincible. (Some Economic Stress) (Rapid Climb in MIC Output) (4000B Or Budget Injection, same budget increase 40AE) (Limited Expansion of Conscription)
[]War Economics: The production of new weapon systems must be raised at all costs with few exceptions. Every industry that can push out capable weapons must be refitted towards the production of capable weapons. Current enterprises are going to be forced to operate in longer operational regimes with expanded hiring to increase the utilization of equipment, improving domestic production considerably. Funding efforts will go to that end with the effective recruitment of entire industrial plans into the military-industrial system to further raise production. Whatever we make now may not be able to match the equipment of the enemy but there will be a sufficient number of weapons. (Economic Stress) (Very Rapid Climb in MIC Output) (6000B Or Budget Injection, same budget increase 40AE) (Universal Conscription)
Economic Procurement Changes:
[]Maintain Current Standards: Expanding the amount of funding spent without going for ambitious and wasteful programs is a decision that can be made. New weapons do not have to be expensive and massively divided in a developmental approach. Focusing instead on ensuring that contracts are sufficiently generous for technical work and that state enterprises can take on some of the technical burdens can produce its gains. This will mildly raise costs and ensure that the number of bids increases through increased profits. (Keeps technical costs the same, moderately increases program costs)
[]Universally Fund Prototypes: Any near-viable technology needs to be brought to low-scale production for development if nothing else. Any procurement program can immediately be funded to the point of producing viable prototypes even if this moderately increases costs. Programs will still be guided through at a moderate pace but enterprises and businesses will effectively receive funds for the development of new systems automatically once a program is opened. (Approximately doubles technical costs, keeps program costs the same)
[]Extend Funding Contracts: A baseline of funding for reasonable paths into production along with formally pushing for parallel programs will significantly improve designs available and ensure that systems are developed as rapidly as possible. Trials will be shifted towards the two most viable applications to be placed into low-rate production with final trials conducted to select the winner. Parallel production will not be pursued but accelerating the path to procurement can significantly increase the rate of new production. Further prototype work will be near-universally funded, especially for novel technical applications, driving applications forward. (Approximately quadruples technical costs, moderately increases program costs)
Politics:
Fleet Crew Training Programs: Every soldier in space must be able to perform damage control duties and resist any hostile action, even if all they can do is harden their respective stations. Deepening the number of drills and increasing simulator work will take some time but will more than pay off in case of an attack. Even some old drills on resisting hostile boarding will be revisited, ensuring that at least otherwise minimally trained crew know how to properly lay fire down corridors and selectively blow out hull sections. (50B Or Cost) (100)
The average sailor in orbit has proven to be unable to meet minimal standards of resisting an attack in exercises, much less being able to take the initiative in boarding operations. Some lack of training was expected but this further extends towards militarization and close combat operations where operating under internal vacuum conditions is almost four times slower than would be the target. Furthermore, work towards hardening stations and ensuring that every installation is capable of some minimal resistance has effectively not been done due to a culture of laxness in the orbital force. Already discipline has strongly increased and officers are explicitly briefed on a far wider variety of drills and exercises to ensure that even the worst of conscripts can be motivated. The combat force itself has been far better trained with most exercises completable at simulated stations with only moderate delays and incompetancies.
Learn Lirrir: Learning the Lirrir language for two of the larger republics will take some time as their grammar is effectively symbolic rather than consistent with reasonable norms. Effectively memorizing a few thousand symbols and their crude pronunciation for several larger republics will be an involved task but one that can be overcome. In case of eventual diplomatic contact, being able to understand them without an interpreter or with a local one can even be reassuring. (76)
The pronunciation of the Lirrir language is a consistent and persistent headache when it comes to even interpreting a single tongue. The trade tongue alone that shares significant loan words across most planetary languages is a tonal nightmare that took a few weeks of committed study to entirely memorize, if not to the point of reliable pronunciations. Learning the text itself has been far simpler as the memorization of a few thousand symbols in isolation is a simple if comparatively uninteresting task. The only issue is that the nature of these symbols is uncertain as translated children's programing with relative locations has been sparse and contradictory in writing advice. Current further studies have centered around learning the tongue of the Yaee Republic along with the Terhas Grand Kingdom as both were the first studied and some of the first adopters of radio.
Procurement Decisions: Generally phases go from you wanting something, to a prototype, to low-rate production(LRP), to full-scale production. Once you have a prototype or something in LRP, you can request changes to it to bring it into line with requirements either military or political
Military Trucks: Further testing of the prototypes for Milta's truck system has effectively confirmed most expectations. The machine has few issues holding the loads it claims to hold but the engine severely limits its top speed offroad along with causing issues in hill climbing performance. The company representative has promised that these issues can be fixed if given time along with the implementation of a new high compression engine but that has been promised in years rather than on the first batch of trucks. Production programs have led to the construction of two new factories as stipulated in the contract with one going to replace civilian end production as Milta's primary facility shifts towards military orders. The vehicle itself drives roughly and hasn't been liked by its drivers, but it's not a death trap like the Type-14 and is massively more capable for routine haulage. (150B Or Or Spent) (37) (Entering Production as the Type-38 Truck) (Procurement Complete)
Transport Aircraft: The initial GA prototype effectively delivered an enlarged maritime weather aircraft with some additional features. The wing root has been shifted up to improve stability and the primary power now comes from two twin-bladed turbofans rather than simpler turbine and propeller engines. Takeoff runs with the plane have shown it to be moderately sluggish and underweight with a limited capacity to do one-engine takeoffs while under full load, but that if a limitation of runway safety design. The cockpit incorporates effectively direct clones of civilian systems with an all-glass cockpit that can automate almost all flight functions. The representative however has bluntly said that the project will go over budget as an entirely new facility needs to be established to produce segments in any significant numbers. The money spent would be almost double the initial expectation overall, but some costs can be recouped in lowered per-unit costs. (51) (20B Or Spent) (Prototype)
[]Accept the Contract: General Aerospace has been upfront that they cannot deliver the plane on a low budget and are willing to make a contract compensating for that by lowering per-unit prices. It is likely their expectation that a similar aircraft can be rapidly adapted to private sector service for cargo transportation, allowing the models made at the cost of manufacturing to be recouped. The budget plan is solid and outside of issues with safety features when at the edge of the cargo-runway operating regime the prototype works. Scaling to larger scale production can introduce issues as parts are made at scale, but that does not disqualify the bid (450B Or) (Finishes Procurement Next Turn) (Funds Production of 600 Units)
[]Insist on Modifications: The plane needs to meet all requirements at all stages of the envelope and comparatively easy technical developments can bridge the gap. Getting General Aerospace to meet all safety requirements may take some time and refinement but it can certainly be done. Work on a second prototype with improved systems integration along with options for increasing engine power can be commissioned. The program itself will insist on a fully functional prototype that meets all requirements, but there is the risk that GA bows out. (30B Or) (New Prototype) (Politically Prefered)
[]Go Towards Other Bids: General aerospace has overrun sufficiently that any case in the courts would be laughed out for the sheer extent of over-bidding. The company itself has already been paid for technical development and something of an equitable break can be achieved without too many issues. Re-evaluating the program will take some time as more funding is poured in for prototype testing but someone can make a functional aircraft without more than doubling the budget. (Small Chance of Lawsuit)
Second Generation Mining Ships(Habitation Programs): Technical programs for the development of a new universal habitation module have considerably accelerated both with the threat to the planet and a series of new technologies. Direct clones of immersive VR systems based on DNI linkages have already been designed for the pods with personal space designed in such a way as to maintain the section's structural integrity. The hexagonal section is expected to be inserted into a conventional pressure hull with a diameter of nine meters. In this section at every level, six hexagonal pods are inserted in an alternating grid to preserve space, packing in thirty-six crew at a length of only six meters for the primary habitation section. Personal storage is done in the space between the hexagonal pods allowing for a compact unitary module. Already the design has entered terrestrial testing with a design clone commissioned in orbit to undergo testing and vacuum rating as a combined sixteen by nine-meter spherical module incorporating a canteen, officers cabins, and an entertainment deck. The question of mining methodology remains open, with a wide range of ideas on how to actually harvest ore. (50B Or Spent) (CASP) (109)
[]Asteroid Chunk Capture: The arguably simplest way of harvesting ore is the individual processing of small chunks of rock. Breaking apart a large rock with explosives, some of the particles will be of moderate size and capable of being harvested. From there the rocks will be heated at a vacuum with a harvest of the off-gas produced along with a mild centrifugal effect to produce easy-to-melt ores at specific temperatures. The methodology will be power-consuming and slow compared to others as even breakage is not expected but a near-total processing of a metallic rock can be achieved with few issues. (Already Tested in Zero-G Refineries)
[]Microwave Powder Harvesting: Using high-intensity microwaves to break off a rock before final processing is a theoretical approach towards on-site mining. Instead of cracking a rock with explosives a strong microwave emitter can be utilized to break apart material and provide mostly smaller particles for further processing. This effectively clones heating elements from other applications to be used directly on the surface of a mined asteroid. Some risk still exists in that the craft will be attached to the asteroid as it breaks it apart but the system itself is believed to be acceptably reliable.
[] On-Site Pulverization: Taking the simplest way possible and extending the mining ship considerably with a frontal pulverization module can save significant amounts of time when mining. Large rollers will process chunks of ore to work them down into a fine powder that can then be centrifugally heated, processed, and off-gassed. The issues of requiring an effective onboard foundry are universal anyway and working metals into combined ingots that need further separation is as effective as any other method of processing. The issue with extending the ship will be that more crew and tonnage will be required to keep the system working, but with faster harvesting the increase in production will more than compensate for it.
FTL Test Bed(Test Programs): Despite slower progress for certain programs and an effectively incompetently done electronics integration the generation of an exotic particle has been confirmed at scale with an experimental torus. The module itself has failed to produce anywhere near the amount needed due to the strong influence of gravity even well outside lunar orbit, but it has demonstrated that the technology is viable. Upscaling systems involved will take time and likely another testbed to provide the means for ensuring that particle stability can be maintained. These Branons are the primary aspect of faster-than-light travel being explored but the question remains of how exactly to design the FTL system. (50B Or Spent) (CASP) (95) (CASP Parallel Programs Below) (Select As Many As Desired, Independent Rolls)
[]Fully External Drive: The easiest and simplest way to construct the drive will be to build a massive donut at the far end of the ship so that it is covered by the shadow shield and as large as possible to enable ease of generation. This will theoretically speed up charging to less than a week for the planned size of the craft and ensure that a massive reserve of Branons can be generated. The largest concern with the scheme, as it is, will be the limitations in protection as the entire ring is practically exposed.
[]Supported Drive-Ring: Armoring the external ring is technically a misnomer in that a thin sheet of composite boron fiber will be used to cover a smaller system. The weight addition will still be notable but immediate spikes of possible hard radiation or adverse events that can come from the transition will be minimized. Nothing has so far been observed to damage the drives when placed under smaller-scale testing but even some protection can go a long way toward reducing the risk of being stranded at a distant star.
[]Keep the Drive Internal: Burying the entire drive deep in the craft is going to strongly limit what it can do. Recharge times of almost a month are expected with severe limitations present in thermal management. We do not currently know what the cross-dimensional space is like and ensuring that the crew's one-way home will not destroy itself is the highest priority for a test craft. Keeping the drive itself internal to a general hull form will also increase the durability of the craft to laser fire if a fully protected scheme is pursued, ensuring that it can function as an incredibly poor combat craft in an emergency.
Hibernation Systems: Placing a series of hibernation pods that can be slotted into a section will raise ship weights and effectively be the first large-scale instance of the technology being used in space. It is expected to effectively form a compact way of mass crew storage for longer journeys if a minimal crew is needed at any one time or if something goes wrong with the ship itself. The system will effectively be built directly below the primary crew habitation module and based around compact sliding drawers with linkages for nutrients and medications to maintain useful conditions. Nothing about the technology is atypical but some of the crew have found the system to be too coffin-like for comfort. (Moderate Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (20B Or Spent) (86) (Universal)
A two-meter module has been effectively incorporated into the base structure of the habitation module incorporating thin slabs on which the entire crew can rest. Separated from the main module by a vacuum-rated bulkhead the entire crew can be packed onto thin slabs after being linked to nutrition and medication for prolonged habitation. The space is an uncomfortable forty-centimeter by seventy-five-centimeter "tray" but through it the entire crew can be stored. Some complaints have been made by enlisted for its similarity to morgue equipment but that is not expected to be significant given that crew hibernating are not going to be conscious of their surroundings.
Double Cores: Installing a small high-temperature gas core with power production in the one-megawatt range is important for operating passive systems and running the electrical RCS systems, especially in the case of a primary core power failure. The goal of the project will be the design of a light reactor core capable of operating with a minimal degree of radiation emission and a consistent production of electrical power. This will improve fuel efficiency by allowing the primary reactor to be shut off when not necessary, extending time on the station, and providing emergency power. (Moderate Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (10B Or Spent) (113) (Universal)
Cloning an emergency power system has come with a design from a theoretical submarine-based gas cooled solid core system. Technical work on higher density and higher efficiency reactors has already been conducted with new programs easily derivative. Power delivered from the core has been tuned down through lowering the rate of fission and introducing far greater fractions of burnable poison allowing a single fueling to effectively last for a lifespan of twenty years. Further improvements in modularity and a separated cooling system have also been made, allowing the simple Brayton cycle system to directly tap into reactor power with an acceptable cold loop temperature for radiators. Supply limits limit the core to just 10 MW but that will be more than enough to operate all emergency systems with minimal maintenance.
Third-Generation Fiber Lasers: A limited degree of self-defense capacity can be built into the craft by integrating further iterated fiber-laser systems for close-in defensive work. The lasers themselves will take a small portion of power production and act as a combined point defense system against missile attacks, providing a degree of protection. Further, the lasers can be used for long-distance communication pulses in a way that is not dependent on most forms of communication and can allow for the neutralization of debris. (Moderate Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (30B Or Spent) (84) (Universal)
The effective fielding of a new generation of pumped lasers has been pushed forward despite their strong limitations. The largest issue with such laser systems has been their lower efficiency with current designs doing little to fix that problem specifically. The largest advantage of an older-style pumped laser comes in its resistance to high-temperature environments, allowing a massive reduction in the size and vulnerability of radiators. Current designs call for the use of a liquid holonium arc gas with a synthetic diamondoid envelope to resist the temperatures and pressures involved. Alexandrite gain media is expected to pump at the 410nm band with a 750nm transition wavelength that is then frequency doubled to the limit of current lensing techniques. Losses from the process along with cavity reflection and emission point issues will lower the overall system efficiency to only twenty percent but with the infinite power on board, it will make a light and viable combat laser. A side-mounted system is expected to be mounted midships with two 4m mirror-based turrets utilized for close-in defense.
Integrated FTL Comms: The continued development of FTL comms has allowed their minimization to a unit of only twenty tons in weight with a data transmission capability of up to ten kb per second. These units, if fit to all classes of ship, can serve to significantly improve crew morale at a comparatively negligible cost by allowing non-critical messages to be sent home and simple text-based conversations maintained. More relevantly the presence of faster-than-light communications will allow the ships to immediately report any new findings improving overall communication. (Large Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (50B Or Spent) (Nat 1) (Universal)
Next-generation communications units have been developed with a broader excitation band allowing for significant gains in performance to be made. The units come at a significant additional cost but transmissions in the order of fifty KB per second are possible on a clear relative line. This offers a massive advantage in that narrowband voice communication can be made available to command staff and significantly improve combat responsiveness. The new units are a bit heavier and more technically complex than the expected design but the large gains in efficiency have driven their adoption.
Combined Sensor Systems(Visual): Building a unified pod capable of assessing a system for a distance is technically secondary to testing an FTL drive, but the hull will be used for a massive number of tasks anyway. Building a compact module capable of establishing the orbital plane and scanning the local environment for planetary bodies and significant asteroids in a limited amount of tonnage is going to take time, but the sensors pioneered for the role can easily be applied to outer system detection and the basis for a more militarized system. (Not Included) (40B Or Spent) (18) (FTL Explorer)
The closest comparison made to the new visual sensor system is effectively an upscalled passive detection system used for anti-aircraft work. The system itself is a direct clone with improved capability for detection in the IR wavelengths but it falls massively short of the ambitious goals of the program. It can likely detect any drive capable of the outputs the alien enemy has been observed to use but it falls short of every other parameter. It is negligible as a navigational tool and only has some value as a passive sensor. Lunos for its part has promised that improvements would be made but those will come too late compared to the necessity of ordering new hulls. The system itself has been repurposed for covert anti-orbital and defense work but it is useless for its design role.
ELINT Equipment: Borrowing systems from pre-war espionage operations and several recommendations of the intelligence department a comprehensive electronic listening system can be developed. This is an entirely passive system with negligible emissions outside of power use, allowing a degree of covert monitoring. An onboard quantum computer is expected to be useful for dealing with possible encryption on site along with providing enough of a suite to analyze contacts along housing a small analysis team. (Significant Cost and Small Tonnage Increase) (50B Or Spent) (17) (FTL Explorer)
A direct clone of the equipment that existed on pre-war reconnaissance aircraft with a degree of signal interception and decryption equipment has been designed on a conventional basis. The inclusion of a full-sized quantum computer has rendered the system massive compared to expectations and a major challenge to fit onboard. It can carry six crew as an additional mounted pod ahead of the main crew section but before the bridge. Radio interception capability is more than adequate to intercept signals from a known source to provide a perspective from different historical points but cross-system detection is impossible. In the system, any strong radio emitter will be rapidly detected but it would take an absurd series of coincidences to stumble upon anyone openly transmitting on the radio.
Long Burn Space-Ships(Thruster Systems): The development of new engine systems for the CASP program has effectively separated into several discrete programs with specialized drives conceived of for each craft. The LBSS has received a unified drive capable of delivering a highly efficient impulse of twenty-five thousand seconds using hydrogen fuel to enable some commonality and refueling from established outposts. As to travel drives for both the FTL and Mining ships, a general design for a ten thousand-second drive has been replicated for both, operating on common hydrogen fuel. Electrical efficiencies have failed to be increased on either with the program running considerably over budget and slower than expected. The ten thousand second drive is effectively ready to fly but the more ambitious drive will take some technical refinement to avoid thermal failures. (40) (80B Or Spent) (CASP) (CASP Thruster Decisions Below)
[]Reactors Now: The power system for each craft outside the LBSS is a nearly three GWe dusty plasma power core with a massive power system laying it down now can allow limited orbital testing before being paired with craft. Development work on serial reactor production along with radiators will take up two small shipyards with LRP examples expected to be produced by the end of the next year. Full-scale production is likely to take until 40AE but they will be available in numbers and ideally partially refined. The reactor represents the most challenging aspect of the entire design and starting production now will minimize delays. (100B Or) (Two Small Slips Used)
[]Assemble the Parts: The only remaining aspects of the combined system CASP craft that is still theoretical are the mission sections and the drive for the LBSS. To accelerate the construction of new spaceships as much as possible components that are known to be common can start being constructed in slipways and welded together. A crew quarters can exist for a few months as a ship frame is built to support it. Further, as the ships are built around an external frame design scheme there is little reason to slow production of most systems. If technical programs can continue on pace it may be possible to achieve the first FTL jump before the 42 AE election. (200B Or) (Four Small Slips Used) (Commits to 2 FTL Ships and Eight Mining Ships)
[]Hold Off: Every technology going into the ships currently built is experimental in the extreme with only the drives themselves being known technology. Waiting for smaller-scale testing to be completed can prevent any massive engineering problems from getting into final designs. The technical advisors are currently confident that they can deliver every system in a functional state outside some specifics on the FTL ring but caution still has some value. Waiting to lay down what would be a massive expense can ensure that a surge of funding is better allocated as more slipways will be available. (No New Costs)
Anti-Orbital SSBN: Building out long-duration submarines capable of maintaining retaliation capacity in case of a sudden invasion or loss of orbitals is going to be an essential aspect of planetary defense. Committing to a massive program of construction will ensure that any boats caught in the initial ambush will be able to sustainably hide in the deep ocean. Independent supply capacity and long-duration nuclear reactors will have to be pioneered along with the capacity for building new higher-capacity pressure hulls. The program itself is going to be expensive and prolonged but there is nothing as important for national survival as the capacity to return fire against orbital dominance with hundreds of bomb-pumped lasers. (34)
[]Dive Depth Priority: The depth of diving along with the depth of launch provides more protection from enemy fire than any possible feature of a submarine. Prioritizing the design of a high-hardness HSA pressure hull along with the capacity to launch from as deep as possible will be the largest priority of the general program. The larger missiles required along with the increased scale of the hulls will limit production numbers produced but in case of enemy invasion, at least a few will be able to hide on the ocean floor. As an added benefit moving submarines out of the current capability of torpedoes will significantly improve performance against any theoretical ordinance.
[]Capacity Prioritization: A requirement for missiles to be carried in twin stacked cells with an orbital capable capacity of seventy-two independent systems per boat will be required to saturate theoretical point defenses. A focus on constructing a wider submarine along with a more technically capable boat capable of returning fire to the orbitals will save costs per missile stored and ready. An effective reduction in crew per missile system will also enable some long-term savings as fewer submarines can maintain defense capacity. A conventional hull form is going to be required for current production methods but more complex missiles can bridge the gap towards new requirements.
[]Mass Production: We need defensive weapons now and not in a theoretical period after HEA developments and new style hull fabrication is available. A basic high-quality steel hull pushed out of the yards along with a simple system built around a small crew with most aspects automated will allow the program to expand rapidly. Several yards can already construct a submarine to adequate pre-war standards and a patrol half a kilometer down is expected to be sufficient for most orbit-to-surface theories of anti-submarine warfare. Orders for hulls will be placed immediately with gas core reactor production following immediately afterward to accelerate production.
New Programs(Currently 5 Running, can select up to six concurrent programs)
[]Second Generation Infantry Equipment: Committing to an overhaul of the infantry equipment is a decision that can be made, but there is little funding to go around. Ensuring that at least the infantry has something resembling old systems of powered assistance, basic thermal imagers, and a rifle system capable of incorporating it will go a long way towards improving quality. New light anti-tank systems and armor will be developed to provide the average soldier with previously unmatched capabilities. Deciding on the degree of funding will be an open question but the program should be comparatively cheap despite the scale. (10B Or Expected)
[]Standardization of Orbital Troops: A space suit has been issued for the crew to operate in orbit along with some elements of a thrust system but entirely new systems are needed to accomplish basic military tasks. The current preferred format by the army is a type of unified pressure garment with a variety of systems integration for further models. A true heavy boarding suit is almost certainly beyond the budget or desired capacity but speculative bids can be put out to enterprises and companies on the topic. (20B Or Expected)
[]Heavy Infantry Prototypes: Continued development work on improved infantry systems and direct DNI systems has generated several curious proposals. Breaking from the conventional Seelie form in favor of a more compact chassis with thicker armor can be designed. Both terrestrial and off-world applications of the system are expected to enhance the performance of local systems, simplifying life support and protection systems by increasing compactness. (???B Or Expected)
[]Light Vehicles: A simple 4x4 with a diesel engine and the capacity to mount small arms protection and basic crew-served weapons. The program in question will be more of a productive capability as automobile manufacturing is still limited with few experienced programs. Some have even suggested making the requirements amenable towards an electric vehicle to enable a new all-electric army. The scale of the program and necessary factory increases to accomplish a full transition for the army will leave the program expensive but necessary. (50B Or Expected)
[]Space Capable Buggies: Making a buggy capable of carrying a fireteam and traversing a low-gravity lunar environment represents several massive technical challenges. Current examples have derived more from rovers but the technical work involved has left them deeply insufficient for most duties. The actual system would be a simple electric wide chassis focused on stability and the capacity for avoiding injury in case of a low gravity accident from lack of ground pressure. Weapon mountings on the system are going to be secondary with the vehicle serving more as a transport and towing platform. (50B Or Expected)
[]New MBT: There is currently no tank in production nor the capacity to build a tank in any form, massively limiting the ability of the army to even utilize its doctrine. The arguments over what to put in a tank are just as varied as the proposals made by both enterprises and businesses of what to build into a tank with ideas ranging from a rapid production mobilization tank to a true successor to the Type-38 chassis. Opening the program is expected to be expensive and take time but will be essential for any terrestrial military operations. (250B Or Expected)
[]Multirole VTOL: Experience in producing aircraft for either naval or terrestrial purposes has effectively been dissipated as the enterprises involved have been broken up for the better part of the last two decades. Starting with new engine designs being pushed into production along with dedicated plants for the next generation of radar-absorbent materials will likely take a decade as technology needs to be developed to a point that it can meet all operational requirements. Core design requirements for the program itself are immensely political as the differences between a naval-capable airframe and one that the army wants are immense. (400B Or Expected across several funding phases)
[]Surveillance Drones: A long-distance loitering drone capable of linking towards uplinks in orbit and cruising to most points of the planet from either a catapult launch or airfield will be essential for observational capacity. The platform itself is almost certain to later be refitted for the carrying of ordinance but that is considered to be secondary relative to the massive technical demands of long loiter time and new electronic systems. Compact high-magnification thermals and optics will be the core product of the program no matter what bid is taken, providing a new basis for spotting fires. (40B Or Expected)
[]Loitering Munitions: Autonomous systems with high loiter times built based on disposable munitions have a limited effect on protected vehicles but are perfectly adequate in an anti-personnel role. Effective simplified systems with total autonomous control can be easily developed and produced in the thousands as a field expedient source of fires and suppression for concentrations of manpower. Some proposals have been made for mounting proper kinetic ordinance for APS penetration but those are primarily going towards heavier systems. Core aspects of the program are almost certain to focus on a heavier degree of automation and eliminating communications and jamming vulnerabilities. (40B Or Expected)
[]Next Generation Fleet Combatant: Long-duration patrol missions with a new generation of nuclear vessels with a high-efficiency gas core-mhd system can be designed to significantly improve capability. Massive onboard power systems can go towards the driving of electrical propulsion and laser anti-missile weaponry. Extending the old system of VLS cells and reducing the overall radar and physical profile of the ships will allow a massive improvement in strike and anti-aircraft capacity. The class itself is expected to mostly replace most surface ships on the planet with a follow-on class of LCS expected to allow for marine capacity. (400B Or Expected across several funding phases)
[]Militarized Orbital Frigate: Instead of continued operations of frigates that were practically obsolete when they were constructed a new class can be laid down. Modernizing basic electronic systems towards new phased arrays and incorporating the latest generation of Gas core-MHD systems in a unified propulsion bus will be one of the core aspects of the program to provide sufficient thrust under combat conditions. MPD drives are almost expected for strategic travel requirements allowing the ships to flexibly patrol the inner system with a reasonable degree of acceleration. Technical requirements for the frigates are more expected to center around deep salvos of missiles and laser defensive systems forming a component of fleet actions. (250B Or Expected across several funding phases)
[]Militarized Orbital Destroyer: The capacity to fit a particle beam into a ship is an entirely open question and one that is going to have to be answered. There is so far no concrete role for a heavy orbital competent capable of returning fire in an anti-shipping role. Designs for it range from a heavy missile carrier with liquid nuclear core missile busses to allow for closer range engagements to a heavy slow combatant with armor designed around firing heavy particle beams. Technical development will be the core aspect of the program with few examples of the class expected to be constructed before a refined follow-on is made. (300B Or Expected across several funding phases)
Political/Personal Reactions(Pick up to 2):
[]Large-Scale Exercises(Army): Testing doctrinal systems through large-scale exercises can be done through a bit of funding and working with the vehicles available. The fact is that current lighter elements are likely to remain for the next few decades leaving an open question of how exactly to use them. Using the technicals will cause consistent grumbling but the force may as well be trained on them. (Small Political Support Cost) (20B Or Cost)
[]Orbital Defense Exercises: Working around ensuring that orbit can be defended is going to be challenging with so few ships available but maneuvers need to be conducted now rather than later. Testing with the old conversions along with exercising the defensive command groundside will be valuable to spot any problems with the current system and improve training. Large-scale defense exercises have always been ignored but doing them now can start shaking off the proverbial rust. (Small Political Support Cost) (40B Or Cost)
[]Harden Force Discipline: Ensuring that the enlisted have some morale and spine to them has been a continuously challenging problem. Current problems with discipline and a degree of harassment of conscripts are unbecoming of the force and a significant limitation on their performance. Setting stringent standards and increasing punishments can deter some of the worst actors while keeping force morale high. Further, work towards ensuring that soldiers are told correct information will be started to harden resistance in the face of a far superior enemy. (10B Or) (Small Political Support Cost)
[]Rank Structure Reform: Limiting the advancement of those in administrative roles and ensuring a full separation of the command system can keep the combat arm functional. The officers who are going to be promoted to captains in the orbital forces need to have a history of combat command, not administrating oxygen on a cylinder. This will cause some discontent with the current officers in administrative roles but they should never have expected to be promoted. (Significant Political Costs)
[]Conscription for the Colonies: Opening up positions for conscripts to man colonial, asteroid and orbital industries will massively reduce operational expenses. Conscripts are the cheapest source of workers for the colonies and by increasing the positions available risks towards them getting into combat positions can be minimized. Passing it will take some parliamentary maneuvering but given the current crisis that is expected to come easily. (Additional 100B from Orbital Assets)
[]Final Defense Bunkers: A bunker network is of questionable value given the degree of ordinance that would be used for a full-scale landing but several political figures and younger officers have advocated for it. These would largely be facilities with dug-in command infrastructure to provide robust centers of organization in case of a moderate scale or restrained invasion. The program itself is unfortunately popular for reasons beyond simple logic and avoiding funding it is a fast route towards political issues. (50B Or Costs) (Political Costs if not Taken)
[]Study Wartime Issues(Select Specific Program): Committing some time to do a full literature report on a critical wartime piece of equipment and how it exactly failed is going to be a massive crawl through the archives but someone needs to do it. Working for a few continuous days on pulling the papers will take some extra leisure time but it's expected if one is to understand anything of what they are doing. (-5 to +15 depending on roll) (Wartime Equipment Only)
[]Study Theoretical Proposals(Select Specific Program): Taking the time to directly analyze theoretical designs and technical aspects of procurement can improve the performance of several systems. Without a wide basis of understanding little can be done and attempting to interpret theoretical concepts remains an open question. Pouring over a few hundred papers to get a surface-level understanding is still a good use of time especially for matters as important as procurement. (-3 to +7 depending on roll) (All Equipment)
[]Enforce Democracy: The current government has broken from the democratic principle through the alienation of the average worker and persistent failure to meet their needs. Instead of the army allowing the government to exist movements can be made to change over the green government and hold new elections to enable a transition to democratic methods. This is currently untested and it's questionable if elections would change anything but it remains a constitutional capability.
Infantry-Equipment Set:
Type 23 Combined Equipment: Working with wartime lessons learned and an anemic budget allocation that was expected to go towards all troops, a rationalized system of infantry equipment was developed. Any concept of semi-powered systems or technical sophistication was abandoned in favor of a more conventional system of a plate carrier and uniform combination with a degree of weather resistance. Chemical and biological protection has been limited to a simple respirator rather than the enclosed wartime suits, providing some resistance in the unlikely event of a chemical attack. The old electronically integrated rifles have been brought under a unified 6.5x52mm round along the lines of an R-45 system with effective mountings for optics. Anti-tank firepower has also been consolidated into a series of high-velocity kinetic systems favoring light systems capable of being fired at volume to overwhelm currently non-existent protection systems.
ATGM:
Type 35 Anti-Tank System: On the infantry end the Type-35 rocket system is an effective automated fire and forget that can fire on thermal or electro-optical signature acquisition from a polymer tube, coming in at a portable twenty-three-kilogram system loaded. Long-range and vehicle-based variations have been effectively constructed with the seventeen-kilogram terminal phase paired with a either thirteen or twenty-kilogram booster, providing long-range capability with an incorporated autonomous mode. Errant signature targeting remains a problem for the complex but all three are entering large-scale production to distribute anti-tank firepower. The forty-three-kilogram vehicle mount is to be standardized across the IFV force, providing a massive increase in long-range firepower.
Wheeled Vehicles:
Light Utility Vehicles: Repurposed vehicles ranging from civilian trucks to modified sedans that have formed several key fire elements. Design standardization has been implemented to the point that several models have a standard set of plating and mounting hardware, but these are effectively pressed into service civilian vehicles. Most mount some variety of medium or heavy machine guns but heavier variants do exist with anti-tank missile systems and recoilless rifles. A light vehicle replacement is considered a priority as the current mass of systems is both unwieldy and impossible to maintain.
Type 14G 6x4: Adapted from effectively a logging truck design from before the war and pushed into production as a dual-use vehicle to call the Type 14 inadequate is a failure in description. Initial models have been built with an all-analog system of controls to save on electronics with a suspension that is generally considered unreliable and the truck itself having negligible protection. Further variations have fixed some of the problems by installing some armor plating around the cab to protect against small arms fire, a roof-mounted machine gun, and all electronic control systems. The truck itself is still deeply inadequate and a death sentence for anything but moving infantry to fights, but it has been the ready replacement for most infantry units' mechanized elements.
APC:
Type 36(Pre-War) APC: An 8x8 mixed drive amphibious 1PC mounting one of the early refined diesel-electric drive systems to distribute power and provide improved throttle response in adverse conditions. Increased electrical power supplies have allowed the fitting of automatic laser blinders on all aspects with smart shot detection enabling automatic response fire by the mounted 24mm cannon. Further improvements in protection provide immunity of the craft from its gun on all but the rear aspect, with an active protection system integrated and containing eight front-focused heavy charges to deter missile attacks. Lighter chargers are further braced in the turret to allow smaller ordinances to also be engaged and deterred at a more reasonable mass cost, providing further improvements in protection. Troop capacity was cut down to only eight men in wartime, but that was judged as acceptable to extend missile capacity to eight launches of Type 43 missiles. Numbers in the current inventory are barely sufficient to equip a single division much less the entire force. (Being Retired)
IFV:
Type 38(Pre-War) IFV: Taking design inspirations from the Type 38 tank and directly cloning over its drive system has allowed the standard IFV of the war to maintain a significant rate of advance despite weighing fifty-five tons. The machine is equipped with a primary 57mm cannon with several smart munitions along with significant reinforcement to a lengthened crew section for the complete transportation of an entire infantry section. Frontal composite screens are designed to be adequate against all but the longest rod 152mm munitions with significant resistance to penetration enabled by the engine-power system. Turret integration with the 57mm cannon has twelve heavy and twenty light APS charges along with a hex-emitter laser blinder system. The capacity for seven men exists only due to the automatic missile loader in the turret, limiting the system to firing off staggered shots from dual-missile cassettes in most cases. Less than two hundred functional examples exist due to the sheer age of the system, with most hulls entirely stripped for spare parts. (Being Retired)
Type-36 IFV: A standardized 8x8 IFV built on a series of reliable technical concepts with novel engineering focused primarily on armor and protective systems. Improved HEA plating has been interspersed with ultrahard ceramics in a quasi-NERA array containing far more detailed ultra-hard elements with features. The shift towards materials lighter and stronger than conventional steels alone has ensured that protection is sufficient across the vehicle to resist conventional fire while the ceramics serve to break up threats from cumulative munitions. APS protection has also been extended with eight heavy charges and twenty-four light charges mounted across the turret. The armament is a combination of eight types 35 ATGM and an automated 24mm cannon effectively offering a direct continuation from older APCs. Amphibious capability on the vehicle has been maintained with space for eight dismounts creating several questions on optimal squad sizes. Mortar-carrying and artillery-carrying variants are already being considered though the lack of a power train precludes its use as a SPLAA.
Tank:
Type 38(Pre War) Tank: The other component of the heavy armored system built around a 1500kW diesel engine combined with an electric drive. The tank is practically built around its central 152mm cannon and autoloader, feeding shells into the system at an acceptable rate with long rod penetrators of up to 1.6 meters capable of being loaded in two parts from hull-based cassettes. APS systems have been pioneered onto the tank with sixteen heavy charges and twelve light charges focused around the frontal aspect to degrade ordinance. Armor protection is not technically sufficient to resist an integrated penetrator from its gun, but that has been judged as sufficient. Automatic gun systems based on the Type 36 APC have been integrated with smart return fire capacity built-in with the 24mm Canon. Despite nearly a hundred operational vehicles the chassis has been used for everything from mobile laser anti-aircraft systems to IFVs in greater numbers.
Fixed Wing Aircraft:
None-Operational
Medium Drones:
None-Operational
Light Drones:
Improvised Surveillance Drones: A massive number of diverse quadcopters and basic fixed-wing drones have been produced at a massive number of workshops as systems for surveillance. These have mostly been built with simple radio systems and radio control systems built around applications on civilians and some specialized tablets. Some variants have been modified with basic tandem charge warheads for suicide attacks. The lack of standardization has limited their use of improvised munitions making the commissioning of new systems a high priority.
Naval Combat Ships:
19xType 37 LCS(Pre War): The older generation of lighter littoral combat ships utilizing gas turbines instead of more complex nuclear power plants. Most were built primarily for patrol and anti-piracy duties rather than complex operational requirements in wartime leaving most of them intact in the aftermath. The hulls themselves are equipped with a universal VLS system containing one hundred and twenty tubes rated for anti-shipping missiles along with a series of radar systems and a dual electrochemical canon setup for closer range support duties. Radar integration is considered acceptable even if anti-stealth tracking leaves much to be desired as a platform. Carrying capacities of marines and personnel are the primary purpose of the ship, with the current remaining stocks of the class effectively serving as oversized police cutters.
35xType 33 Frigate(Pre War): The lightest of the classes of ship in service in the thirties modernization program and one destined to act as a low profile low in the water universal combatant specialized in anti-aircraft work. A combined battery of sixty-four cells along with a light electrochemical gun makes up their primary armament. The main purpose of the vessels was the tracking and interception of anti-fleet missile systems while on a cheaper-to-build non-nuclear hull. More complex radar systems were pioneered on the class that would later go on every 30's era ship, allowing an unparalleled simultaneous over-the-horizon intercept capacity against sixteen targets in coordination with further data-linking radars along with data-link enabled lobs followed by terminal boost phase.
Submarines:
None-Operational
Orbital Frigates:
16xRiver-Class(Pre-War Type-35): Closer to a modified police ship than a true naval warship, the River class was originally designed as a vehicle to transport a platoon-sized element of marines between habitats. This was complemented by a limited degree of self-defense capability to police the orbitals along with enabling further orbital work. Drives were built around open cycle gas core reactors supplemented with MPDs for long-range maneuvers, giving each ship a healthy 50 km/s of delta V. With tensions increasing and ever-increasing conflicts with the northern colonial administration the 39 refit radically changed the role of the ships. A series of octagonal twelve-tube missile launches were incorporated into the frame by lengthening the ship along with an 8 MW pulsed laser system with a staggered series of lenses capable of engaging with three at any proper targeting angle. None of those helped in the retreat from lower orbit as guns ravaged the ships, but the few remaining examples have served as venerable shuttles after a total overhaul in 9AE. Reactor cores were replaced with new power ones and the crew section was further compressed to extend their capacities as troop ships, more than capable of supporting the transfer of three hundred men in an LDO-Lunar flight profile.
Orbital Destroyers:
6xDaring Class(Pre-War Type-32): More designed as a pleasure liner for important personnel in orbit along with a defended shuttle for crew transfers outward each Daring's practically the hallmark of a long gone age. Pioneering gas core systems in orbit along with massive travel drives the ships were meant to reach further than ever before in a state of unmatched luxury as tuned MPDs and massive power cores provided them with a usable delta-v of almost 180 km/s. In the 38 refit program, the previously peaceful ships were given a similar missile section to the Type-35 incorporating defensive systems and using the massive power system to mount massive high-temperature 12 MW lasers in a triplex configuration. Each ship can defend itself from anything short of a heavy missile attack, allowing unparalleled operational capacity while maintaining some luxuries. The 12AE refits only compounded on the class with the rationalization of quarters into a hot bunking system incorporating sectioned belonging storage and external mounts for additional crew or cargo. This has enabled a massive five hundred-man capacity along with tons of cargo, though life support resources are strained on such voyages.
Spaceborne Civilian Ships:
Debris Skiffs: The massive series of different classes of light skiffs that patrolled the orbits looking for debris and salvage have no unified class or performance envelope. The most universal factor for them has been the lack of a nuclear drive and a simple long-burning hydrogen engine for propulsion. Most were effectively a printed airlock, a radar, and a series of propellant tanks, capable of assessing larger debris and preparing them for deorbiting work. Lacking any defensive weaponry or nuclear systems a number of these have even been operated by practically civilian concerns from stations, offering tours and overviews. Standardization of small skiffs for moving around the orbital system is still deeply in demand but it remains a niche application now that debris has mostly stopped being a major threat.
8xType-22 Barge: Effectively an oversized gas core reactor attached to tanks of water and a system for mass on-site refining from carbonate asteroids the Type-22 miner is more of a tug than a true mining ship. Operations are conducted through the processing of several rocks until a reserve of water is built up, afterwards the ship approaches a metalloid rock or chunk, and its crew drills into it. Using highly efficient MPDs that are downgraded the ship steadily pushes the rock and itself into a slow intercept maneuver of Dannan, allowing the rock to then be mined in lower orbit. The two-year missions each Type-22 conducts are long and with a poor crew retention rate as the conditions on board are considered poor even compared to more rationalized ships, if only due to the length of missions. Iterations on the miners are already planned, even if they have not yet been implemented.
Type 23 Combined Equipment: Working with wartime lessons learned and an anemic budget allocation that was expected to go towards all troops, a rationalized system of infantry equipment was developed. Any concept of semi-powered systems or technical sophistication was abandoned in favor of a more conventional system of a plate carrier and uniform combination with a degree of weather resistance. Chemical and biological protection has been limited to a simple respirator rather than the enclosed wartime suits, providing some resistance in the unlikely event of a chemical attack. The old electronically integrated rifles have been brought under a unified 6.5x52mm round along the lines of an R-45 system with effective mountings for optics. Anti-tank firepower has also been consolidated into a series of high-velocity kinetic systems favoring light systems capable of being fired at volume to overwhelm currently non-existent protection systems.
ATGM:
Type 35 Anti-Tank System: On the infantry end the Type-35 rocket system is an effective automated fire and forget that can fire on thermal or electro-optical signature acquisition from a polymer tube, coming in at a portable twenty-three-kilogram system loaded. Long-range and vehicle-based variations have been effectively constructed with the seventeen-kilogram terminal phase paired with a either thirteen or twenty-kilogram booster, providing long-range capability with an incorporated autonomous mode. Errant signature targeting remains a problem for the complex but all three are entering large-scale production to distribute anti-tank firepower. The forty-three-kilogram vehicle mount is to be standardized across the IFV force, providing a massive increase in long-range firepower.
Wheeled Vehicles:
Light Utility Vehicles: Repurposed vehicles ranging from civilian trucks to modified sedans that have formed several key fire elements. Design standardization has been implemented to the point that several models have a standard set of plating and mounting hardware, but these are effectively pressed into service civilian vehicles. Most mount some variety of medium or heavy machine guns but heavier variants do exist with anti-tank missile systems and recoilless rifles. A light vehicle replacement is considered a priority as the current mass of systems is both unwieldy and impossible to maintain.
Type 14G 6x4: Adapted from effectively a logging truck design from before the war and pushed into production as a dual-use vehicle to call the Type 14 inadequate is a failure in description. Initial models have been built with an all-analog system of controls to save on electronics with a suspension that is generally considered unreliable and the truck itself having negligible protection. Further variations have fixed some of the problems by installing some armor plating around the cab to protect against small arms fire, a roof-mounted machine gun, and all electronic control systems. The truck itself is still deeply inadequate and a death sentence for anything but moving infantry to fights, but it has been the ready replacement for most infantry units' mechanized elements.
APC:
Type 36(Pre-War) APC: An 8x8 mixed drive amphibious 1PC mounting one of the early refined diesel-electric drive systems to distribute power and provide improved throttle response in adverse conditions. Increased electrical power supplies have allowed the fitting of automatic laser blinders on all aspects with smart shot detection enabling automatic response fire by the mounted 24mm cannon. Further improvements in protection provide immunity of the craft from its gun on all but the rear aspect, with an active protection system integrated and containing eight front-focused heavy charges to deter missile attacks. Lighter chargers are further braced in the turret to allow smaller ordinances to also be engaged and deterred at a more reasonable mass cost, providing further improvements in protection. Troop capacity was cut down to only eight men in wartime, but that was judged as acceptable to extend missile capacity to eight launches of Type 43 missiles. Numbers in the current inventory are barely sufficient to equip a single division much less the entire force. (Being Retired)
IFV:
Type 38(Pre-War) IFV: Taking design inspirations from the Type 38 tank and directly cloning over its drive system has allowed the standard IFV of the war to maintain a significant rate of advance despite weighing fifty-five tons. The machine is equipped with a primary 57mm cannon with several smart munitions along with significant reinforcement to a lengthened crew section for the complete transportation of an entire infantry section. Frontal composite screens are designed to be adequate against all but the longest rod 152mm munitions with significant resistance to penetration enabled by the engine-power system. Turret integration with the 57mm cannon has twelve heavy and twenty light APS charges along with a hex-emitter laser blinder system. The capacity for seven men exists only due to the automatic missile loader in the turret, limiting the system to firing off staggered shots from dual-missile cassettes in most cases. Less than two hundred functional examples exist due to the sheer age of the system, with most hulls entirely stripped for spare parts. (Being Retired)
Type-36 IFV: A standardized 8x8 IFV built on a series of reliable technical concepts with novel engineering focused primarily on armor and protective systems. Improved HEA plating has been interspersed with ultrahard ceramics in a quasi-NERA array containing far more detailed ultra-hard elements with features. The shift towards materials lighter and stronger than conventional steels alone has ensured that protection is sufficient across the vehicle to resist conventional fire while the ceramics serve to break up threats from cumulative munitions. APS protection has also been extended with eight heavy charges and twenty-four light charges mounted across the turret. The armament is a combination of eight types 35 ATGM and an automated 24mm cannon effectively offering a direct continuation from older APCs. Amphibious capability on the vehicle has been maintained with space for eight dismounts creating several questions on optimal squad sizes. Mortar-carrying and artillery-carrying variants are already being considered though the lack of a power train precludes its use as a SPLAA.
Tank:
Type 38(Pre War) Tank: The other component of the heavy armored system built around a 1500kW diesel engine combined with an electric drive. The tank is practically built around its central 152mm cannon and autoloader, feeding shells into the system at an acceptable rate with long rod penetrators of up to 1.6 meters capable of being loaded in two parts from hull-based cassettes. APS systems have been pioneered onto the tank with sixteen heavy charges and twelve light charges focused around the frontal aspect to degrade ordinance. Armor protection is not technically sufficient to resist an integrated penetrator from its gun, but that has been judged as sufficient. Automatic gun systems based on the Type 36 APC have been integrated with smart return fire capacity built-in with the 24mm Canon. Despite nearly a hundred operational vehicles the chassis has been used for everything from mobile laser anti-aircraft systems to IFVs in greater numbers.
Fixed Wing Aircraft:
None-Operational
Medium Drones:
None-Operational
Light Drones:
Improvised Surveillance Drones: A massive number of diverse quadcopters and basic fixed-wing drones have been produced at a massive number of workshops as systems for surveillance. These have mostly been built with simple radio systems and radio control systems built around applications on civilians and some specialized tablets. Some variants have been modified with basic tandem charge warheads for suicide attacks. The lack of standardization has limited their use of improvised munitions making the commissioning of new systems a high priority.
Naval Combat Ships:
19xType 37 LCS(Pre War): The older generation of lighter littoral combat ships utilizing gas turbines instead of more complex nuclear power plants. Most were built primarily for patrol and anti-piracy duties rather than complex operational requirements in wartime leaving most of them intact in the aftermath. The hulls themselves are equipped with a universal VLS system containing one hundred and twenty tubes rated for anti-shipping missiles along with a series of radar systems and a dual electrochemical canon setup for closer range support duties. Radar integration is considered acceptable even if anti-stealth tracking leaves much to be desired as a platform. Carrying capacities of marines and personnel are the primary purpose of the ship, with the current remaining stocks of the class effectively serving as oversized police cutters.
35xType 33 Frigate(Pre War): The lightest of the classes of ship in service in the thirties modernization program and one destined to act as a low profile low in the water universal combatant specialized in anti-aircraft work. A combined battery of sixty-four cells along with a light electrochemical gun makes up their primary armament. The main purpose of the vessels was the tracking and interception of anti-fleet missile systems while on a cheaper-to-build non-nuclear hull. More complex radar systems were pioneered on the class that would later go on every 30's era ship, allowing an unparalleled simultaneous over-the-horizon intercept capacity against sixteen targets in coordination with further data-linking radars along with data-link enabled lobs followed by terminal boost phase.
Submarines:
None-Operational
Orbital Frigates:
16xRiver-Class(Pre-War Type-35): Closer to a modified police ship than a true naval warship, the River class was originally designed as a vehicle to transport a platoon-sized element of marines between habitats. This was complemented by a limited degree of self-defense capability to police the orbitals along with enabling further orbital work. Drives were built around open cycle gas core reactors supplemented with MPDs for long-range maneuvers, giving each ship a healthy 50 km/s of delta V. With tensions increasing and ever-increasing conflicts with the northern colonial administration the 39 refit radically changed the role of the ships. A series of octagonal twelve-tube missile launches were incorporated into the frame by lengthening the ship along with an 8 MW pulsed laser system with a staggered series of lenses capable of engaging with three at any proper targeting angle. None of those helped in the retreat from lower orbit as guns ravaged the ships, but the few remaining examples have served as venerable shuttles after a total overhaul in 9AE. Reactor cores were replaced with new power ones and the crew section was further compressed to extend their capacities as troop ships, more than capable of supporting the transfer of three hundred men in an LDO-Lunar flight profile.
Orbital Destroyers:
6xDaring Class(Pre-War Type-32): More designed as a pleasure liner for important personnel in orbit along with a defended shuttle for crew transfers outward each Daring's practically the hallmark of a long gone age. Pioneering gas core systems in orbit along with massive travel drives the ships were meant to reach further than ever before in a state of unmatched luxury as tuned MPDs and massive power cores provided them with a usable delta-v of almost 180 km/s. In the 38 refit program, the previously peaceful ships were given a similar missile section to the Type-35 incorporating defensive systems and using the massive power system to mount massive high-temperature 12 MW lasers in a triplex configuration. Each ship can defend itself from anything short of a heavy missile attack, allowing unparalleled operational capacity while maintaining some luxuries. The 12AE refits only compounded on the class with the rationalization of quarters into a hot bunking system incorporating sectioned belonging storage and external mounts for additional crew or cargo. This has enabled a massive five hundred-man capacity along with tons of cargo, though life support resources are strained on such voyages.
Spaceborne Civilian Ships:
Debris Skiffs: The massive series of different classes of light skiffs that patrolled the orbits looking for debris and salvage have no unified class or performance envelope. The most universal factor for them has been the lack of a nuclear drive and a simple long-burning hydrogen engine for propulsion. Most were effectively a printed airlock, a radar, and a series of propellant tanks, capable of assessing larger debris and preparing them for deorbiting work. Lacking any defensive weaponry or nuclear systems a number of these have even been operated by practically civilian concerns from stations, offering tours and overviews. Standardization of small skiffs for moving around the orbital system is still deeply in demand but it remains a niche application now that debris has mostly stopped being a major threat.
8xType-22 Barge: Effectively an oversized gas core reactor attached to tanks of water and a system for mass on-site refining from carbonate asteroids the Type-22 miner is more of a tug than a true mining ship. Operations are conducted through the processing of several rocks until a reserve of water is built up, afterwards the ship approaches a metalloid rock or chunk, and its crew drills into it. Using highly efficient MPDs that are downgraded the ship steadily pushes the rock and itself into a slow intercept maneuver of Dannan, allowing the rock to then be mined in lower orbit. The two-year missions each Type-22 conducts are long and with a poor crew retention rate as the conditions on board are considered poor even compared to more rationalized ships, if only due to the length of missions. Iterations on the miners are already planned, even if they have not yet been implemented.
Automation:
Improved AI Market Models: Beating out a capable Seelie at modeling in the stock market has already been done but current ML models can take behaviors a step further. By optimizing direct data streams and using a model of learned behavior and information analysis, correct market decisions can be made well in advance by the general public and most investment agents. The actual deployment of the technology has been limited to financial firms focused on optimizing the market with significant gains expected for the early adopters. At this point, people have mostly been removed from market activity with high data algorithms trained off interpreting behavior taking precedence.
Total Line Automation: Previous efforts at predictive logistics and advanced ordering programs have only developed further with improvements made to the autonomous operation of entire facilities. Current algorithms are insufficient to replace all staff but something as simple as balancing and troubleshooting basic parameter deviation has already been demonstrated with further gains expected on the direct testing level. There is little need for first-line employees when logistics can be conducted in an automated manner with a further simplification of most industries that require sterile standards. Continuous improvements are only expected to continue as more advanced algorithms can further reduce necessary labor. (New 35AE)
Ballistics
Economics
Social Sciences
Computing
X-Ray Lithography Techniques: Next-generation lithography was judged as necessary to make the jump to 3nm gate widths, but even that has proven insufficient. New machines with X-ray light have been demonstrated on a laboratory scale, capable of making feature sizes smaller than previously considered possible with a lower number of errors from simplifications in the beam source. Effectively new machinery is now capable of making circuits on a previously thought-to-be impossible scale, eliminating lithographic challenges. The limitations of electron probability distributions are still notable, but they too can eventually be overcome.
Basic Quantum Computing: Further achievements in computing have not come from shortening gate lengths or improving the density of conventional circuits but through the creation of dedicated quantum computing units. These processors can hold almost ten thousand qbits with some capacity for calculation, even if they are not relevant for most tasks that are better suited for conventional computing. Most of the units are useless outside of discrete applications in small data problems and low-level particle modeling, but the application alone is sufficient to drive investment in the field and push for improved models.
Cybernetics/DNI
Dual-Band NI: Downband neural interfacing has always been considered a massive challenge for control systems and is not practical as a system. Basic sensation feedback can now be delivered with a neural splice avoiding any invasive procedures, and even with a significant learning period basic interfaces can be developed. Further, the technology offers the chance to directly train a single nerve to operate a multi-faceted machine through learning simulations comparable to physical therapy. Some sterile implant programs have started for first adopters with an exclusive up-band-only mounting but the technology once matured can apply to any number of military applications. (30 AE)
Basic Cybernetics: Continued advancements in both genetics and neural interfacing have brought forward a practical new era of implantation and dual-way linkages between neurons and computers. Using basic genetic modification to designate several metals as non-invasive to prevent an immune response along with advanced coatings, safe implants can be produced with few issues of rejection and minimal follow-on treatment. Direct neural control along with the direct splicing of nerves represents a further improvement in old techniques allowing theoretical direct control of larger machinery from a direct linkage. (New 35AE)
Transmission
Terahertz Networking: Taking advantage of previously untapped bands of electromagnetic propagation has defined the last generations of networking but it can be taken a step even further. Consolidating work and increasing transmitter power can only go so far in improving penetration, but for most environments, a simple receiver can be used. Propagation of signals in the range can allow for the transmission of data in gigabytes per second over the air, simplifying significant areas of infrastructure. Signal doublers and lesser bands are still needed for the penetration of obstacles, but the improvements from moving into higher ranges hold immense promise.
Energy Storage
MgLiS Batteries: A new revolution in the development of battery power has come from fundamental work on the development of next-generation battery chemistry. Combining the density of single-use aluminum-air cells with the rechargeability of lithium batteries, new magnesium-sulfur batteries with some lithium additives have been brought to commercial production. Voltage limitations and the need for finer electronics to take advantage of the lower voltage plateau have limited most implementations outside storage use to only 1000Wh/kg, but even that represents a massive improvement over previous chemistries. Current production costs are slightly greater than equivalent lithium ions, but as mass production takes off a cheap rechargeable battery capable of a massive number of cycles can be brought to every electronic device.
Thermal Storage: Paired high-temperature molten storage with a high efficiency high differential thermocouple offers a novel if mostly redundant cheap storage method. The effective price of the system is only dependent on its throughput in the thermocouple with the salts themselves forming a very cheap factor. Efficiency is poor and the actual capacity is mostly superseded by MgS battery compositions, but for several low-cost applications, it can be used. Some new batteries have been designed as a speaker system as massive volumes of salts are heated up to provide energy outside of the productive bands of renewable energy plants as entire lakes of salt are far cheaper than even the cheapest batteries. (30 AE)
Fission
Gas Core Reactors: In terrestrial applications, the maximum efficiency for a nuclear core operating in a conventional cycle has always been constrained by the Carnot equation. Working instead with a gaseous core and a partial system of harvesting using an MHD both thermodynamic efficiency and energy conversion efficiency can be nearly doubled. Electrical conversion efficiencies of nearly seventy percent have been achieved in theoretical test cases bringing orbital reactor core performance to larger-scale ground-side cores.
Third Generation MHD Generators: Through combined improvements in harvesting methodologies for power along with better systemic thermal isolation significant gains have been made in thermodynamic efficiencies of power production. These mostly involve a more refined MHD cycle with some secondary thermal harvesting, bringing waste heat output down to a far more manageable twenty percent of the generative process. This in no way gets rid of radiators and further efficiency improvements will be a massive technical challenge but they can still be undertaken. The far greater scale of new unit generation systems will make refits challenging but new vessels can be built to far improved margins of thermal control. (New 35AE)
Non-Propulsive Dusty Plasma Reactor: Continued drives towards gaining efficiency and the modification of thrust systems have demonstrated significant further improvements to efficiency. By taking an ultra-light fissioning uranium plasma and confining it in a pinch between a dual-end MHD harvester an efficient method of power generation can be designed with few downsides. The power system will explicitly not be suitable for off-drive harvesting like previous generation gas-core MHD couplings but the gains from the new method will be massive. Thermal efficiencies in the order of eighty-five percent can be achieved with a hotter operating cycle, only limited by internal chamber materials, leading to more efficient radiative hot loops. (New 35AE)
FTL
FTL Tachyons: Combining a specialized method of particle physics, the interaction of W bosons in a strong magnetic and electrostatic field has managed to reliably produce several tachyons. These particles have managed to do a previously impossible interaction in conventional models of physics and effectively send a signal out instantaneously. Receiver infrastructure has only been built in another lab, but a basic signal was transmitted along with a narrow band data stream through a Morse-like system. Theoretically, larger and more capable systems have already been commissioned, but they are not expected to be smaller than dedicated buildings and will almost certainly be limited in data transmission. (An unscientific carve-out of relativity in the sense of a privileged special frame that is nonetheless for writing what I want to instead of the more speculative science approach I am taking with everything else.)
FTL-Jump Drive(Theoretical): Through the prompt generation of exotic materials something of a temporary cross-dimensional linkage can be generated. Previous experiments with tachyons have significantly expanded the understanding of particle physics allowing for some glimpses into a possible even space where far larger objects can be sent in a theoretically faster-than-light trajectory. Current ideas of particle generation arrays are unstable at best and experience intense interference from gravitons effectively limiting techniques to areas of the system under less than 1e-4 m/s^2 of acceleration with even less preferred. Actual points where a transition can be induced are even fewer with four calculated to exist in the Dannan system but outside of testing with small objects, it is impossible to know if the model is applicable. Targeting is also assumed to be a major challenge with few known solutions outside of directing the field at the point of initiation, necessitating a massive amount of further testing. (30 AE) (More unscientific carveouts from relativity)
FTL Jump Point Theory: The discrete detection of pockets of so-called jump-optimal space has proceeded logically from previous theories with the refit of a daring class destroyer to assessing pods. Initial guesses that the points would exist outside the orbit of the fifth planet and limitations of gravity have been confirmed though there is a curious phenomenon involved with most jump points in that some are significantly "deeper" dimensionally than others. It is believed that a jump conducted from a deeper point would both be easier and less intensive, leaving other areas of the system as more secondary. Confirmation of further points in the outer system will take time, but current mathematical understandings of jump space do indicate that there should be a few around the gas giant. (New 35AE)
Fusion
Gain positive DT: The creation of massive tokamaks was to an extent perfected pre-war with reactors capable of 10GWe designed theoretically and affordable relative to other power sources. Miniaturization is an open and significantly challenging question without an active reactor for technical development, leaving the technology at a theoretical and underfunded dead end. Plasma temperatures generated can theoretically be sufficient for other fuel cycles but due to the increased issues in generating sufficient conditions even larger cores would be required. (Obsolete, will be removed 40AE)
Optimal Band DT: Further improvements on the conventional fusion fuel cycle and a sustained temperature of 80 KeV can now be attained and maintained without a significant technical burden for reactors of the old scale. This effectively optimizes interaction cross-sections of the fuel, raising the reaction rate while maintaining a similar degree of plasma density. Improvements in the magnets involved have trickled down to smaller-scale reactors with the expectation that a positive 1 GWe reactor could be constructed. The largest improvements however come in the larger cores as once the optimal plasma temperatures are reached the reaction rate increases by almost five fold making the largest cores economical for truly mass power-production applications. (New 35AE)
Biosciences
Genome Engineering: Taking a second look at the genome outside of the initial clumsy attempts by the old regime has yielded massive and rapid gains as transgenic applications have only grown in extent. Work towards tailoring physiological processes along with the specific location of genes responsible for appearance has effectively allowed an unlimited degree of modification. The forefront of the current breakthrough is a co-opting of internal systems of self-correction, allowing a specialized viral payload to infect large parts of the body along with the systems themselves with any remaining cells fixed to the new genetic package. Modifications ranging from more than tripling muscle mass set points to effective morphological control can be conducted, but most depend significantly on the degree of laws passed around them.
Self Healing Concrete: Targeted genetic engineering work on previous programs has come to the fore with the integration of organisms in conventional concrete pours. These engineered organisms are built to produce calcite to fill any hole left in the concrete from micro-fractures or thermal stress. While the material itself will still steadily get weaker due to the limitations of biological systems, the ability to fix most micro-fractures will massively extend all lifespans. Further, as the integration of organisms is practically a cheap step of end-state processing, it can be done for almost nothing, allowing all modern grades of concrete to have limited self-repair for no real loss in initial durability.
Hibernation Systems: Induction of a hibernation adjacent sleep-like state for long-duration orbital journeys has always been desirable but limitations in life support equipment have rendered it problematic. Rather than a total freezing of biological processes a sorta long duration low-calorie use sleep can be induced on a crew for long journeys performed by automated systems. Some degradation and risk are still expected from the process as it is refined but such sleepers can be kept at a minimal life support burden. Retrofits of the system onto ships have been delayed by the lack of automated systems capable of managing complex reactor parameters but several proposals have already been made for dual-setup craft. (30 AE)
Materials Science
High Entropy Alloys(Early): Developmental work on computational models of more complex crystalline structures has produced results practically as soon as sufficient computing power is applied. Breaking away from conventional understandings of bi-component alloys or base metals with mix-ins, the use of a massive number of mixed metals has allowed conventional material science to be revolutionized. Significant gains in basic structural alloys can be conducted in specialized smelting environments at a reasonable cost, even if many of the highest-performance materials capable of entering the realm of super-hard ceramics are limited by supplies of scandium and tantalum. Corresponding breakthroughs in additive manufacturing techniques have only improved performance, producing parts cheaply and with qualities well above conventional material science.
Engineering Plastics: Work in the biological sciences on easy-to-produce materials has rapidly enabled the creation of biological systems capable of making short-chain polymers. Limitations in internal chemistries and the needs of organisms to process feedstock from the atmosphere have made the process inefficient compared to the energy committed, but for low-quality biologically derived plastics, this is a revolution. Incredible cheap plastic can be brought into bulk construction roles as fillers, improving structural design and further lowering costs for low-quality biodegradable material.
Synthetic Diamondoids(low yield): Nothing prevents the production and shaping of a large block of diamondoid materials through innovative semi-conventional production methods along with improvements in deposition techniques. The only remaining question is if the expense of a diamondoid is useful in any good or product as the ultra-hardness can be almost replicated by more conventional and cheaper ultra-hard ceramics. Theoretical requirements involving only carbon are a positive factor but even those do not make the technology viable. (30 AE)
CNT Mass Production: Improvements have been made in non-biological processes for the production of long-chain carbon nano-tubes effectively making biological methods obsolete. Large-scale macro-catalytics have developed significantly on older techniques with scalable production of new materials. The changeover has forced the rapid adoption of new methods along with the increase of the chemical industry as simpler methods are steadily pushed aside. After some reconfiguration, it is expected that CNT incorporation can become a common factor for several industrial applications. (New 35AE)
Doctrine
Autonomous Drone Warfare: New theories of automation have not failed to reach the battlefield with concepts around a general increase in semi-automatic and automatic combat platforms favored. ECCM has only improved over time with many asking why it is necessary to risk Seelie lives in warfare when a single soldier can manage a dozen autonomous platforms. Development of doctrinal and technical concepts will involve committed testing of new platforms and new procurement goals limiting what can be done, but several visionary manuals have been written on the topic. (30 AE)
Missiles/Small Craft
Fission Drive Miniaturization: Technical work towards miniaturizing a liquid core fission drive has been possible if consistently problematic. Ensuring that effectively spinning fission fuel can have enough room for operation and adequate separation from the propellant is still a major technical challenge. Theoretical work towards slightly lowering temperatures and increasing mass flow while accepting emissions has been pushed forward but even that is theoretical. Effective launch profiles for rockets less than fifty tons can be made even if current costs make it prohibitive for anything disposable.
Orbital Industry
Early Spaceship ISRU: Procedures for the in-space refinement of metals have rapidly been developed to further exportation and increase yields. Next-generation mining techniques in the form of total asteroid capture followed by pulverization and liquefaction under mild centrifugal forces have yielded significant gains in refinement and on-site processing. The next generation of mining ships is expected to entirely incorporate new methods, effectively breaking off chunks of asteroids before capturing them and refining them internally. Water off-gas can be directly utilized for propulsion and life support while more solid elements are left for further refinement, allowing lighter nuclear drives to easily provide sufficient transit reserve.
Particle Sciences
MPD Improvements: With the start of construction for new ships, previously experimental techniques in the construction of magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters have effectively gone mainstream. Increasing the charge of the surface and allowing for a tentative protective coat in the flow has massively improved thruster durability for longer burns all while supplying more power. The already fairly efficient drives have been further thermally improved with the integration of superconducting materials on all non-contact components, reducing heat burdens and further power to weight.
Bomb Pumped X-ray Lasers: Utilizing the fission fragments of a warhead to pump a laser has historically been attempted to consistent yet mediocre results, but with the integration of better lensing material and a slightly more coherent media far better results have been produced. The lasers are still hard to focus and carry forward a minuscule amount of power even compared to a shaped nuclear charge, but they have a far longer range and exist outside of conventional atmospheric limitations. Fissile material use for each laser-specialized warhead is expected to be heavy due to the negligible impact a second stage has on device design, limiting any approach to use a dirty single stage.
Particle Beam Theories: Nothing prevents the mass scaling of the particle accelerator into a viable orbital weapon system capable of breaking the previous expectations of warship design. Massive linear accelerator designs can be made to accelerate a mass of particles to near relativistic speeds allowing for a massive impulse of radiation to be delivered to any target irregardless of previous armoring attempts. The scattering will effectively limit the ranges and the massive capacitor banks required for the generation of the beam have made the system at its lightest a thousand-ton intensely magnetic tube, but it can be developed to a sufficient point to cram into a warship. (New)
Production Methods
Advanced Additive Manufacturing: The largest gains in additive manufacturing techniques have not come from the methodologies themselves but from the materials fed into them and their integration into general industries. The manufacturing of specific specialty parts and the ability to rapidly prototype has remained from previous generations of manufacturing, what has changed however has been improvements in feedstock and deposition methods. Utilization of mixed powders has been a near-universal factor with finer grinding and materials that maintain hardness with a minimum degree of hardening prioritized. Using mixed powder high entropy alloy parts can be made to a higher standard than possible with other methods, integrating techniques as mainstream manufacturing methods on a previously unheard-of scale.
Biological-Epoxies: Complete production chains for biosynthetic epoxies and resins have been developed with only some requirements remaining for molding. The material is not as cheap as conventional regenerative cement construction but it is better insulating and far more portable for logistically challenging areas. Molding is still necessary making the process not truly automated but some proponents of prefabricated resin paneling made in a factory as a light alternative to prefabricated panels especially for external insulation applications. (New 35AE)
Improved AI Market Models: Beating out a capable Seelie at modeling in the stock market has already been done but current ML models can take behaviors a step further. By optimizing direct data streams and using a model of learned behavior and information analysis, correct market decisions can be made well in advance by the general public and most investment agents. The actual deployment of the technology has been limited to financial firms focused on optimizing the market with significant gains expected for the early adopters. At this point, people have mostly been removed from market activity with high data algorithms trained off interpreting behavior taking precedence.
Total Line Automation: Previous efforts at predictive logistics and advanced ordering programs have only developed further with improvements made to the autonomous operation of entire facilities. Current algorithms are insufficient to replace all staff but something as simple as balancing and troubleshooting basic parameter deviation has already been demonstrated with further gains expected on the direct testing level. There is little need for first-line employees when logistics can be conducted in an automated manner with a further simplification of most industries that require sterile standards. Continuous improvements are only expected to continue as more advanced algorithms can further reduce necessary labor. (New 35AE)
Ballistics
Economics
Social Sciences
Computing
X-Ray Lithography Techniques: Next-generation lithography was judged as necessary to make the jump to 3nm gate widths, but even that has proven insufficient. New machines with X-ray light have been demonstrated on a laboratory scale, capable of making feature sizes smaller than previously considered possible with a lower number of errors from simplifications in the beam source. Effectively new machinery is now capable of making circuits on a previously thought-to-be impossible scale, eliminating lithographic challenges. The limitations of electron probability distributions are still notable, but they too can eventually be overcome.
Basic Quantum Computing: Further achievements in computing have not come from shortening gate lengths or improving the density of conventional circuits but through the creation of dedicated quantum computing units. These processors can hold almost ten thousand qbits with some capacity for calculation, even if they are not relevant for most tasks that are better suited for conventional computing. Most of the units are useless outside of discrete applications in small data problems and low-level particle modeling, but the application alone is sufficient to drive investment in the field and push for improved models.
Cybernetics/DNI
Dual-Band NI: Downband neural interfacing has always been considered a massive challenge for control systems and is not practical as a system. Basic sensation feedback can now be delivered with a neural splice avoiding any invasive procedures, and even with a significant learning period basic interfaces can be developed. Further, the technology offers the chance to directly train a single nerve to operate a multi-faceted machine through learning simulations comparable to physical therapy. Some sterile implant programs have started for first adopters with an exclusive up-band-only mounting but the technology once matured can apply to any number of military applications. (30 AE)
Basic Cybernetics: Continued advancements in both genetics and neural interfacing have brought forward a practical new era of implantation and dual-way linkages between neurons and computers. Using basic genetic modification to designate several metals as non-invasive to prevent an immune response along with advanced coatings, safe implants can be produced with few issues of rejection and minimal follow-on treatment. Direct neural control along with the direct splicing of nerves represents a further improvement in old techniques allowing theoretical direct control of larger machinery from a direct linkage. (New 35AE)
Transmission
Terahertz Networking: Taking advantage of previously untapped bands of electromagnetic propagation has defined the last generations of networking but it can be taken a step even further. Consolidating work and increasing transmitter power can only go so far in improving penetration, but for most environments, a simple receiver can be used. Propagation of signals in the range can allow for the transmission of data in gigabytes per second over the air, simplifying significant areas of infrastructure. Signal doublers and lesser bands are still needed for the penetration of obstacles, but the improvements from moving into higher ranges hold immense promise.
Energy Storage
MgLiS Batteries: A new revolution in the development of battery power has come from fundamental work on the development of next-generation battery chemistry. Combining the density of single-use aluminum-air cells with the rechargeability of lithium batteries, new magnesium-sulfur batteries with some lithium additives have been brought to commercial production. Voltage limitations and the need for finer electronics to take advantage of the lower voltage plateau have limited most implementations outside storage use to only 1000Wh/kg, but even that represents a massive improvement over previous chemistries. Current production costs are slightly greater than equivalent lithium ions, but as mass production takes off a cheap rechargeable battery capable of a massive number of cycles can be brought to every electronic device.
Thermal Storage: Paired high-temperature molten storage with a high efficiency high differential thermocouple offers a novel if mostly redundant cheap storage method. The effective price of the system is only dependent on its throughput in the thermocouple with the salts themselves forming a very cheap factor. Efficiency is poor and the actual capacity is mostly superseded by MgS battery compositions, but for several low-cost applications, it can be used. Some new batteries have been designed as a speaker system as massive volumes of salts are heated up to provide energy outside of the productive bands of renewable energy plants as entire lakes of salt are far cheaper than even the cheapest batteries. (30 AE)
Fission
Gas Core Reactors: In terrestrial applications, the maximum efficiency for a nuclear core operating in a conventional cycle has always been constrained by the Carnot equation. Working instead with a gaseous core and a partial system of harvesting using an MHD both thermodynamic efficiency and energy conversion efficiency can be nearly doubled. Electrical conversion efficiencies of nearly seventy percent have been achieved in theoretical test cases bringing orbital reactor core performance to larger-scale ground-side cores.
Third Generation MHD Generators: Through combined improvements in harvesting methodologies for power along with better systemic thermal isolation significant gains have been made in thermodynamic efficiencies of power production. These mostly involve a more refined MHD cycle with some secondary thermal harvesting, bringing waste heat output down to a far more manageable twenty percent of the generative process. This in no way gets rid of radiators and further efficiency improvements will be a massive technical challenge but they can still be undertaken. The far greater scale of new unit generation systems will make refits challenging but new vessels can be built to far improved margins of thermal control. (New 35AE)
Non-Propulsive Dusty Plasma Reactor: Continued drives towards gaining efficiency and the modification of thrust systems have demonstrated significant further improvements to efficiency. By taking an ultra-light fissioning uranium plasma and confining it in a pinch between a dual-end MHD harvester an efficient method of power generation can be designed with few downsides. The power system will explicitly not be suitable for off-drive harvesting like previous generation gas-core MHD couplings but the gains from the new method will be massive. Thermal efficiencies in the order of eighty-five percent can be achieved with a hotter operating cycle, only limited by internal chamber materials, leading to more efficient radiative hot loops. (New 35AE)
FTL
FTL Tachyons: Combining a specialized method of particle physics, the interaction of W bosons in a strong magnetic and electrostatic field has managed to reliably produce several tachyons. These particles have managed to do a previously impossible interaction in conventional models of physics and effectively send a signal out instantaneously. Receiver infrastructure has only been built in another lab, but a basic signal was transmitted along with a narrow band data stream through a Morse-like system. Theoretically, larger and more capable systems have already been commissioned, but they are not expected to be smaller than dedicated buildings and will almost certainly be limited in data transmission. (An unscientific carve-out of relativity in the sense of a privileged special frame that is nonetheless for writing what I want to instead of the more speculative science approach I am taking with everything else.)
FTL-Jump Drive(Theoretical): Through the prompt generation of exotic materials something of a temporary cross-dimensional linkage can be generated. Previous experiments with tachyons have significantly expanded the understanding of particle physics allowing for some glimpses into a possible even space where far larger objects can be sent in a theoretically faster-than-light trajectory. Current ideas of particle generation arrays are unstable at best and experience intense interference from gravitons effectively limiting techniques to areas of the system under less than 1e-4 m/s^2 of acceleration with even less preferred. Actual points where a transition can be induced are even fewer with four calculated to exist in the Dannan system but outside of testing with small objects, it is impossible to know if the model is applicable. Targeting is also assumed to be a major challenge with few known solutions outside of directing the field at the point of initiation, necessitating a massive amount of further testing. (30 AE) (More unscientific carveouts from relativity)
FTL Jump Point Theory: The discrete detection of pockets of so-called jump-optimal space has proceeded logically from previous theories with the refit of a daring class destroyer to assessing pods. Initial guesses that the points would exist outside the orbit of the fifth planet and limitations of gravity have been confirmed though there is a curious phenomenon involved with most jump points in that some are significantly "deeper" dimensionally than others. It is believed that a jump conducted from a deeper point would both be easier and less intensive, leaving other areas of the system as more secondary. Confirmation of further points in the outer system will take time, but current mathematical understandings of jump space do indicate that there should be a few around the gas giant. (New 35AE)
Fusion
Gain positive DT: The creation of massive tokamaks was to an extent perfected pre-war with reactors capable of 10GWe designed theoretically and affordable relative to other power sources. Miniaturization is an open and significantly challenging question without an active reactor for technical development, leaving the technology at a theoretical and underfunded dead end. Plasma temperatures generated can theoretically be sufficient for other fuel cycles but due to the increased issues in generating sufficient conditions even larger cores would be required. (Obsolete, will be removed 40AE)
Optimal Band DT: Further improvements on the conventional fusion fuel cycle and a sustained temperature of 80 KeV can now be attained and maintained without a significant technical burden for reactors of the old scale. This effectively optimizes interaction cross-sections of the fuel, raising the reaction rate while maintaining a similar degree of plasma density. Improvements in the magnets involved have trickled down to smaller-scale reactors with the expectation that a positive 1 GWe reactor could be constructed. The largest improvements however come in the larger cores as once the optimal plasma temperatures are reached the reaction rate increases by almost five fold making the largest cores economical for truly mass power-production applications. (New 35AE)
Biosciences
Genome Engineering: Taking a second look at the genome outside of the initial clumsy attempts by the old regime has yielded massive and rapid gains as transgenic applications have only grown in extent. Work towards tailoring physiological processes along with the specific location of genes responsible for appearance has effectively allowed an unlimited degree of modification. The forefront of the current breakthrough is a co-opting of internal systems of self-correction, allowing a specialized viral payload to infect large parts of the body along with the systems themselves with any remaining cells fixed to the new genetic package. Modifications ranging from more than tripling muscle mass set points to effective morphological control can be conducted, but most depend significantly on the degree of laws passed around them.
Self Healing Concrete: Targeted genetic engineering work on previous programs has come to the fore with the integration of organisms in conventional concrete pours. These engineered organisms are built to produce calcite to fill any hole left in the concrete from micro-fractures or thermal stress. While the material itself will still steadily get weaker due to the limitations of biological systems, the ability to fix most micro-fractures will massively extend all lifespans. Further, as the integration of organisms is practically a cheap step of end-state processing, it can be done for almost nothing, allowing all modern grades of concrete to have limited self-repair for no real loss in initial durability.
Hibernation Systems: Induction of a hibernation adjacent sleep-like state for long-duration orbital journeys has always been desirable but limitations in life support equipment have rendered it problematic. Rather than a total freezing of biological processes a sorta long duration low-calorie use sleep can be induced on a crew for long journeys performed by automated systems. Some degradation and risk are still expected from the process as it is refined but such sleepers can be kept at a minimal life support burden. Retrofits of the system onto ships have been delayed by the lack of automated systems capable of managing complex reactor parameters but several proposals have already been made for dual-setup craft. (30 AE)
Materials Science
High Entropy Alloys(Early): Developmental work on computational models of more complex crystalline structures has produced results practically as soon as sufficient computing power is applied. Breaking away from conventional understandings of bi-component alloys or base metals with mix-ins, the use of a massive number of mixed metals has allowed conventional material science to be revolutionized. Significant gains in basic structural alloys can be conducted in specialized smelting environments at a reasonable cost, even if many of the highest-performance materials capable of entering the realm of super-hard ceramics are limited by supplies of scandium and tantalum. Corresponding breakthroughs in additive manufacturing techniques have only improved performance, producing parts cheaply and with qualities well above conventional material science.
Engineering Plastics: Work in the biological sciences on easy-to-produce materials has rapidly enabled the creation of biological systems capable of making short-chain polymers. Limitations in internal chemistries and the needs of organisms to process feedstock from the atmosphere have made the process inefficient compared to the energy committed, but for low-quality biologically derived plastics, this is a revolution. Incredible cheap plastic can be brought into bulk construction roles as fillers, improving structural design and further lowering costs for low-quality biodegradable material.
Synthetic Diamondoids(low yield): Nothing prevents the production and shaping of a large block of diamondoid materials through innovative semi-conventional production methods along with improvements in deposition techniques. The only remaining question is if the expense of a diamondoid is useful in any good or product as the ultra-hardness can be almost replicated by more conventional and cheaper ultra-hard ceramics. Theoretical requirements involving only carbon are a positive factor but even those do not make the technology viable. (30 AE)
CNT Mass Production: Improvements have been made in non-biological processes for the production of long-chain carbon nano-tubes effectively making biological methods obsolete. Large-scale macro-catalytics have developed significantly on older techniques with scalable production of new materials. The changeover has forced the rapid adoption of new methods along with the increase of the chemical industry as simpler methods are steadily pushed aside. After some reconfiguration, it is expected that CNT incorporation can become a common factor for several industrial applications. (New 35AE)
Doctrine
Autonomous Drone Warfare: New theories of automation have not failed to reach the battlefield with concepts around a general increase in semi-automatic and automatic combat platforms favored. ECCM has only improved over time with many asking why it is necessary to risk Seelie lives in warfare when a single soldier can manage a dozen autonomous platforms. Development of doctrinal and technical concepts will involve committed testing of new platforms and new procurement goals limiting what can be done, but several visionary manuals have been written on the topic. (30 AE)
Missiles/Small Craft
Fission Drive Miniaturization: Technical work towards miniaturizing a liquid core fission drive has been possible if consistently problematic. Ensuring that effectively spinning fission fuel can have enough room for operation and adequate separation from the propellant is still a major technical challenge. Theoretical work towards slightly lowering temperatures and increasing mass flow while accepting emissions has been pushed forward but even that is theoretical. Effective launch profiles for rockets less than fifty tons can be made even if current costs make it prohibitive for anything disposable.
Orbital Industry
Early Spaceship ISRU: Procedures for the in-space refinement of metals have rapidly been developed to further exportation and increase yields. Next-generation mining techniques in the form of total asteroid capture followed by pulverization and liquefaction under mild centrifugal forces have yielded significant gains in refinement and on-site processing. The next generation of mining ships is expected to entirely incorporate new methods, effectively breaking off chunks of asteroids before capturing them and refining them internally. Water off-gas can be directly utilized for propulsion and life support while more solid elements are left for further refinement, allowing lighter nuclear drives to easily provide sufficient transit reserve.
Particle Sciences
MPD Improvements: With the start of construction for new ships, previously experimental techniques in the construction of magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters have effectively gone mainstream. Increasing the charge of the surface and allowing for a tentative protective coat in the flow has massively improved thruster durability for longer burns all while supplying more power. The already fairly efficient drives have been further thermally improved with the integration of superconducting materials on all non-contact components, reducing heat burdens and further power to weight.
Bomb Pumped X-ray Lasers: Utilizing the fission fragments of a warhead to pump a laser has historically been attempted to consistent yet mediocre results, but with the integration of better lensing material and a slightly more coherent media far better results have been produced. The lasers are still hard to focus and carry forward a minuscule amount of power even compared to a shaped nuclear charge, but they have a far longer range and exist outside of conventional atmospheric limitations. Fissile material use for each laser-specialized warhead is expected to be heavy due to the negligible impact a second stage has on device design, limiting any approach to use a dirty single stage.
Particle Beam Theories: Nothing prevents the mass scaling of the particle accelerator into a viable orbital weapon system capable of breaking the previous expectations of warship design. Massive linear accelerator designs can be made to accelerate a mass of particles to near relativistic speeds allowing for a massive impulse of radiation to be delivered to any target irregardless of previous armoring attempts. The scattering will effectively limit the ranges and the massive capacitor banks required for the generation of the beam have made the system at its lightest a thousand-ton intensely magnetic tube, but it can be developed to a sufficient point to cram into a warship. (New)
Production Methods
Advanced Additive Manufacturing: The largest gains in additive manufacturing techniques have not come from the methodologies themselves but from the materials fed into them and their integration into general industries. The manufacturing of specific specialty parts and the ability to rapidly prototype has remained from previous generations of manufacturing, what has changed however has been improvements in feedstock and deposition methods. Utilization of mixed powders has been a near-universal factor with finer grinding and materials that maintain hardness with a minimum degree of hardening prioritized. Using mixed powder high entropy alloy parts can be made to a higher standard than possible with other methods, integrating techniques as mainstream manufacturing methods on a previously unheard-of scale.
Biological-Epoxies: Complete production chains for biosynthetic epoxies and resins have been developed with only some requirements remaining for molding. The material is not as cheap as conventional regenerative cement construction but it is better insulating and far more portable for logistically challenging areas. Molding is still necessary making the process not truly automated but some proponents of prefabricated resin paneling made in a factory as a light alternative to prefabricated panels especially for external insulation applications. (New 35AE)
12-Hour Moratorium Vote by Plan
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- Location
- UTC+0
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They
Sooo, the government has understandably freaked out, but not enough to demand we take over and install a wehrstaat thankfully. I think we should definitely construct the government their little bunkers, not doing so would be an unforced error. As for our subs, I think we should either go for depth or capacity, since they would decrease costs and keep the program at a reasonable cost. I don't think there is a need to mass produce submarines at this moment.
In terms of what bids we should go for, we should definitely start on the light trucks, they are desperately needed. Am torn between accepting GA's offer and demanding they refine their project, the former entails producing more airframes than we were expecting, but I don't think that's necessarily a problem, and the safety issues don't seem too bad. And more importantly it allows us to move on from the project. But well, a improved airframe would be nice, and its politically preferred. I think I am a little more on the side of just getting it done, especially with the money we are getting.
Speaking of, obviously the situation is not so dire we need to entirely divert the economy towards the needs of the Military. Yes, we would regret not doing it if next turn we are invaded, and the galaxy is looking scarier than it did a year ago, but well, I don't think we are in imminent danger and its a big commitment, though I understand where Richie is coming for. So that realistically leaves the other two options, one gives us a immediate increase in ground capability (by rushing out those ATGM's and IFV's) at the expense of technical development (presumably we will lose some tech rolls and their spread will change) and the other gives us a smaller increase that's mainly intended to make sure we get our shit together space side whilst trying not to create economic issues. Either of them are good.
As for all the other stuff, I am not too sure on it, so would be lovely if people shared their thoughts.
In terms of what bids we should go for, we should definitely start on the light trucks, they are desperately needed. Am torn between accepting GA's offer and demanding they refine their project, the former entails producing more airframes than we were expecting, but I don't think that's necessarily a problem, and the safety issues don't seem too bad. And more importantly it allows us to move on from the project. But well, a improved airframe would be nice, and its politically preferred. I think I am a little more on the side of just getting it done, especially with the money we are getting.
Speaking of, obviously the situation is not so dire we need to entirely divert the economy towards the needs of the Military. Yes, we would regret not doing it if next turn we are invaded, and the galaxy is looking scarier than it did a year ago, but well, I don't think we are in imminent danger and its a big commitment, though I understand where Richie is coming for. So that realistically leaves the other two options, one gives us a immediate increase in ground capability (by rushing out those ATGM's and IFV's) at the expense of technical development (presumably we will lose some tech rolls and their spread will change) and the other gives us a smaller increase that's mainly intended to make sure we get our shit together space side whilst trying not to create economic issues. Either of them are good.
As for all the other stuff, I am not too sure on it, so would be lovely if people shared their thoughts.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I'm honestly surprised we have conscripts serving in orbit. I'd think that given the relative prestige and limited amount of elfpower required for space operations, that we'd be using a more or less all-volunteer force for that branch...
Sorry, got no other ideas. Brain not working.
Sorry, got no other ideas. Brain not working.
[X]Plan: Sweet Sweet Political Support
-[X]Economic Mobilization
-[X]Universally Fund Prototypes
-[X]Insist on Modifications
-[X] On-Site Pulverization
-[X]Keep the Drive Internal
-[X]Reactors Now
-[X]Dive Depth Priority
-[X]Light Vehicles
-[X]Harden Force Discipline
-[X]Final Defense Bunkers
A basic plan, not set on all things.
-[X]Economic Mobilization
-[X]Universally Fund Prototypes
-[X]Insist on Modifications
-[X] On-Site Pulverization
-[X]Keep the Drive Internal
-[X]Reactors Now
-[X]Dive Depth Priority
-[X]Light Vehicles
-[X]Harden Force Discipline
-[X]Final Defense Bunkers
A basic plan, not set on all things.
- I wouldn't mind taking the lowest funding presented, but it's politically divisive. I'd rather take Economic Mobilization, grab some extra money, and make sure our political base in the military is happy.
- The choices here are between More Bids presented, Fund all the prototypes, Fund 2 to production and pick the best. I think going for prototypes is best here.
- Insist on Modifications is politically preferred, I want to start getting political support so we can actually do some of the actions which drain it. I'd also be fine with just accepting the contract, it's expensive but gives us more aircraft, which is useful.
- On-site pulverization's main issue seems to be more crew and tonnage needed. Well, with hibernation the cost of extra crew is greatly reduced, so that's nice. It also will be faster, so it can generate more money for an initial cost.
- Going for an internal drive for our testbed. I don't necessarily want it long-term, but with our comms fucked, we need to try our best to have the ship get home after a FTL transition.
- I could go for Assemble the Parts, but it feels too optimistic. Getting reactors set up seems like a good in between.
- Dive Depth Priority is partially because it's cool (submarine x-com on the ocean floor), but also because we don't need a ton of subs to make taking lower orbit untenable, we just need enough safely hidden that they can't be sure about taking it.
- Light vehicles because we want to get the supply chain hell dealt with, and we have a good amount of experience with the automotive sector now.
- Hardening Force discipline has some brainworms with Ricky, but with the increased amount of conscripts we'll need to make sure we stop hazing them. It will only cause problems down the line.
- Not taking final defense bunkers would be an unforced error. We have the money and the politicians want it. It's silly, but nothing here is worth taking a major support hit.
Legion0047
Retired Shadowrunner.
- Location
- Austria
- Pronouns
- God Emperor
[X] Not the first plan
-[X]Small Scale Mobilization
-[X]Universally Fund Prototypes
-[X]Accept the Contract
-[X]On-Site Pulverization
-[X]Supported Drive-Ring
-[X]Reactors Now
-[X]Dive Depth Priority
-[X]Standardization of Orbital Troops
-[X]Final Defense Bunkers
-[X]Harden Force Discipline
Just some slight changes to the first plan, so we don't bandwagon. I am honestly fine with kirai's, but this one has some slight preferences on my end.
-[X]Small Scale Mobilization
-[X]Universally Fund Prototypes
-[X]Accept the Contract
-[X]On-Site Pulverization
-[X]Supported Drive-Ring
-[X]Reactors Now
-[X]Dive Depth Priority
-[X]Standardization of Orbital Troops
-[X]Final Defense Bunkers
-[X]Harden Force Discipline
Just some slight changes to the first plan, so we don't bandwagon. I am honestly fine with kirai's, but this one has some slight preferences on my end.
- Pronouns
- He
Let me tell you, those elf-sheep were shocked as hell by their new additions.
I've been busy, but I finally got time to sit down and do some analysis.
>Government politics
The PM reacted well all things considered, and politics in general has shook out strongly in our favor without much excess. The civilians are correctly stomping down on Richie's desire to meddle excessively in the info-sphere, but are willing to leap to dramatic funding increases, and in general whatever cracks there have been between the military and the civilian government is getting paved over from the crisis. This is all good stuff.
>Mobilisation
We should do economic mobilisation. Small Scale might technically be preferable in that it puts less stress on the economy and might be a bit better for technical developments in general, however we can reinvest money into the sciences, which we do want to do in order to shift the odds towards more space-military useful technologies. In the end, we would be very bad at our job if we declined the opportunity to increase our budget dramatically at a political cost of all things. Full scale mobilisation is obviously counterproductive, but some militarisation of the economy will not go amiss; you can run a perfectly functional economy despite significant military funding.
Meanwhile going small scale means we likely wont see the opportunity to get back that share of the pie we are being offered, as either A) the politicians stop panicking or B) oops, hostile aliens are here now and they just kicked our butts, shame we didnt prepare a bit faster, eh? Simply put, if we were playing as the civilians theres strong arguments for pushing small scale, but since we are the military I cant justify doing anything but economic mobilisation.
>procurement
Its either keeping the current standards or universally funding prototypes. Extend Funding Contracts is obviously a boondoggle. Im leaning towards funding prototypes; current standards seem to be about promising even better, larger contracts in an effort to get more bids ect, but it doesnt actually help our job out in any way. We might get more shiny procurement options but that could also be a downside as people promise the moon and fail to deliver.
Universally funding prototypes is technically burning money, but honestly technical development costs havent been that bad, and since we're militarising it means bigger contracts which means the prototypes will take up a lesser share of money spent comparatively. In return it does actually cut out a place where we have to make a decision, thereby removing one of the ways we can make a mistake, all the while giving us more information at the point where we do have to make a decision. This should noticeably simplify the whole process.
>Transport aircraft
Slightly underdelivers, need startup funding but are willing to cut us a lower per-unit deal in return. This means a bigger order than we originally went for. However, this fits in with our new situation of economic militarisation anyways. Just take the deal honestly, the military might prefer we go for a new prototype but we're chasing really marginal benefits here and I doubt anyone's gonna make a huge fuss; the airforce is barely there in the first place. We've accepted worse compromises, and taken bigger political risks than this. I don't want another truck-like situation where procurement drags on.
>spaceship generally
The universal 'hull' programs all rolled very well, which is excellent. The one exception is the nat1 on FTL comms, in which something has clearly gone very wrong with nobody catching on to it. The silver lining here is that its only gonna be an expensive boondoggle and a delay to the FTL comms program rather than something that can sink the CASP program itself, since tonnage is negligible. The FTL sensors and elint stuff all failed pretty hard, which combined with the FTL comms failure puts to rest the idea that we are getting an actually usable FTL explorer out of this, but w/e. It was meant to be a testbed in the first place. The rest of the program survives.
>mining
I like on-site. Technical development sounds very simple, and although we didnt go for the lightest ship in the first place, nothing except the ELINT section mentions any tonnage overruns or general fears, and ELINT is testbed only.
>FTL
Hard to say, I can see arguments for every option, but I think im leaning towards either of the extremes. The simplest option for obvious reasons of expediting the testbed and allowing us to develop the next generation of FTL ships we will actually be able to use, or internal to lean fully in on the testbed aspect and develop the technologies we are likely to be using for our FTL combat ships.
>Thrusters
I think reactors now is a good compromise, procurement is fickle and we probably shouldnt wed ourselves to anything immediately, but theres no reason not to build the reactors now from what I can see.
>SSBNs
There's an argument for all options, but I want to push HEA technologies. In addition the extra survivability is genuinely important and plays into a critical piece of naval theory: Fleet in Being. As long as our anti-orbital submarines are alive and kicking they will be a threat that limits the options of any hostile force in orbit. A serious invasion force would seek to dismantle our anti-orbital defences as quickly as possible, and we should deny them as much as we can.
>new procurement and political decisions
I'll get to that later.
>Government politics
The PM reacted well all things considered, and politics in general has shook out strongly in our favor without much excess. The civilians are correctly stomping down on Richie's desire to meddle excessively in the info-sphere, but are willing to leap to dramatic funding increases, and in general whatever cracks there have been between the military and the civilian government is getting paved over from the crisis. This is all good stuff.
>Mobilisation
We should do economic mobilisation. Small Scale might technically be preferable in that it puts less stress on the economy and might be a bit better for technical developments in general, however we can reinvest money into the sciences, which we do want to do in order to shift the odds towards more space-military useful technologies. In the end, we would be very bad at our job if we declined the opportunity to increase our budget dramatically at a political cost of all things. Full scale mobilisation is obviously counterproductive, but some militarisation of the economy will not go amiss; you can run a perfectly functional economy despite significant military funding.
Meanwhile going small scale means we likely wont see the opportunity to get back that share of the pie we are being offered, as either A) the politicians stop panicking or B) oops, hostile aliens are here now and they just kicked our butts, shame we didnt prepare a bit faster, eh? Simply put, if we were playing as the civilians theres strong arguments for pushing small scale, but since we are the military I cant justify doing anything but economic mobilisation.
>procurement
Its either keeping the current standards or universally funding prototypes. Extend Funding Contracts is obviously a boondoggle. Im leaning towards funding prototypes; current standards seem to be about promising even better, larger contracts in an effort to get more bids ect, but it doesnt actually help our job out in any way. We might get more shiny procurement options but that could also be a downside as people promise the moon and fail to deliver.
Universally funding prototypes is technically burning money, but honestly technical development costs havent been that bad, and since we're militarising it means bigger contracts which means the prototypes will take up a lesser share of money spent comparatively. In return it does actually cut out a place where we have to make a decision, thereby removing one of the ways we can make a mistake, all the while giving us more information at the point where we do have to make a decision. This should noticeably simplify the whole process.
>Transport aircraft
Slightly underdelivers, need startup funding but are willing to cut us a lower per-unit deal in return. This means a bigger order than we originally went for. However, this fits in with our new situation of economic militarisation anyways. Just take the deal honestly, the military might prefer we go for a new prototype but we're chasing really marginal benefits here and I doubt anyone's gonna make a huge fuss; the airforce is barely there in the first place. We've accepted worse compromises, and taken bigger political risks than this. I don't want another truck-like situation where procurement drags on.
>spaceship generally
The universal 'hull' programs all rolled very well, which is excellent. The one exception is the nat1 on FTL comms, in which something has clearly gone very wrong with nobody catching on to it. The silver lining here is that its only gonna be an expensive boondoggle and a delay to the FTL comms program rather than something that can sink the CASP program itself, since tonnage is negligible. The FTL sensors and elint stuff all failed pretty hard, which combined with the FTL comms failure puts to rest the idea that we are getting an actually usable FTL explorer out of this, but w/e. It was meant to be a testbed in the first place. The rest of the program survives.
>mining
I like on-site. Technical development sounds very simple, and although we didnt go for the lightest ship in the first place, nothing except the ELINT section mentions any tonnage overruns or general fears, and ELINT is testbed only.
>FTL
Hard to say, I can see arguments for every option, but I think im leaning towards either of the extremes. The simplest option for obvious reasons of expediting the testbed and allowing us to develop the next generation of FTL ships we will actually be able to use, or internal to lean fully in on the testbed aspect and develop the technologies we are likely to be using for our FTL combat ships.
>Thrusters
I think reactors now is a good compromise, procurement is fickle and we probably shouldnt wed ourselves to anything immediately, but theres no reason not to build the reactors now from what I can see.
>SSBNs
There's an argument for all options, but I want to push HEA technologies. In addition the extra survivability is genuinely important and plays into a critical piece of naval theory: Fleet in Being. As long as our anti-orbital submarines are alive and kicking they will be a threat that limits the options of any hostile force in orbit. A serious invasion force would seek to dismantle our anti-orbital defences as quickly as possible, and we should deny them as much as we can.
>new procurement and political decisions
I'll get to that later.