I have to say that it are parts like that that really stretch my suspension of disbelief... I get that the Hishmeri are supposed to be the bad guys/space pirates but actions like that seem not only stupid but also so pointless. Why the hell would anybody halfway sane risk angering the "superpower" of this part of space, especially for something unimportant like a research vessel (I mean if it had been a merchant/transport vessel it would have still been stupid but at least somewhat understandable) and after seeing just how much force the assembled to protect a non-affiliated non-revelant primitive world? I think you stretch the mongol/hun analogy a bit to far here since unlike those the Hishmeri have no chance of escaping/disappearing into space after their attacks and do indeed have a very vulnerable "centre".

In my opinion by resorting to such a caricature villain behaviour you do yourself and your quest a disservice...

Because that's how nomadic societies actually, historically, behave?

Typically, every clan does it's own thing and answers to the others only on an informal basis. If one group thinks it can get away with committing a crime and then disappearing into the millieu of its fellows, it will often do it. And you only need one stupid or reckless chieftain who thinks he can get away with this for it to happen, often smearing the rest of his people by association in the process.

This has been a problem for the Roma, the Bedouins, the Berbers, and numerous others.
 
Last edited:
It actually wasn't, Cheron was there purely to explain what the SBZ was doing, Zephyr got the job done on its own.

Then that's very impressive :)

I have to say that it are parts like that that really stretch my suspension of disbelief... I get that the Hishmeri are supposed to be the bad guys/space pirates but actions like that seem not only stupid but also so pointless. Why the hell would anybody halfway sane risk angering the "superpower" of this part of space, especially for something unimportant like a research vessel (I mean if it had been a merchant/transport vessel it would have still been stupid but at least somewhat understandable) and after seeing just how much force the assembled to protect a non-affiliated non-revelant primitive world? I think you stretch the mongol/hun analogy a bit to far here since unlike those the Hishmeri have no chance of escaping/disappearing into space after their attacks and do indeed have a very vulnerable "centre".

In my opinion by resorting to such a caricature villain behaviour you do yourself and your quest a disservice...

What. If the Hishmeri are only seeing a 40C Federation task force compared with their 100+C fleet (plus likely ~100C armed auxiliaries), they have very little reason to be afraid of retribution. They can afford to keep raiding targets that can't fight back.

Our 40C task force is only supposed to defend territory - that if they try trespass, we demonstrate our capacity to bite them. It's a deterrence force, not a force that could hope to take the attack onto the Hishmeri fleet.

Plus, it's possible that the Federation task force has only started to arrive. It's only been one month since the task force has been formed, and there was no mention of it in this update.
 
@Nix you are using grey for the Neutral Zone, and it would make sense to reserve that for any future neutral zones setup. I think one option is to move the Licori back to the Other color and then use the Licori color for the Horizon.
 
Hot damn, that was one hell of truly Star Trek-y turn.
Because that's how nomadic societies actually, historically, behave?

Typically, every clan does it's own thing and answers to the others only on an informal basis. If one groupthinks it can get away with committing a crime and then disappearing into the millieu of its fellows, it will often do it. And you only need one stupid or reckless chieftain who thinks he can get away with this for it to happen, often smearing the rest if his people by association in the process.

This has been a problem for the Roma, the Bedouins, the Berbers, and numerous others.

Fucking nomads
.

inb4 they start spawning heroes and getting even more of them wherever they are coming from.
 
Ha! Numbers I can argue about!
So here is one more number to factor in:
4 Cargo Ships under construction by Starfleet
5 Freighters under Construction by Starfleet
10-4-2(current garunteed space in build plan, I believe)=4 cargo ships remaining
8-5=3 cargo ships remaining
What that does mean is we almost are caught up on freighters once the current ones finish, cargo ships are a bit further behind. On the flip side Starfleet Medical has the budget for 9 more hospital ships, ideally give them 3 berths so that they can go to work and get those out in a decade total. More so each of the new hospital ships gives us a +2 to S for events where they can respond and be useful (plague and other medical emergencies) so we want Starfleet Medical to be able to get those out relatively quickly. Then again an aux yard with 4 berths (giving aux command 8 in total) should get them there when combined with a few berths from Starfleet being made available for a single build.
4 cargo and 3 freight isn't that bad, no, but it does nothing to cope with any increases in demand. More on this latter as I argue about the number of berths we want.
Aux ships we need more of:
Cargo-23 in service, 4 under construction, ideally we get 2 berths to serial build a mix of these and freighters to keep up with demand, we are going to keep expanding our logistics footprint and we will add more engineering teams
Freighter- 8 in service, 5 under construction, see Cargo ships, basically want 2 berths to be reserved for continuous production of these ships, with more berths assigned as needed
Passenger- only have 2 and I am guessing these are for moving people in to colonies, get a berth to serial build 2 so we have 4 in the end, low priority
Engineering- we have 6, enough for 3 teams, I would like 2 more for a 4th team, that way having one locking in to the GBZ would not slow us down elsewhere in building up, one berth can serial build the 2, done once we catch up logistics wise
Prospector- we have 4, could use another 2 to 4, find a single berth and do a serial build, maybe the same one we do the passenger ships at, alternating between the two
Hospital-1 prototype under construction, budget has been set for 9 more, would prefer 3 parallel builds of 3 so 3 berths needed
Super-freighter- would be nice to have for doing the major loops on the inside of the federation to free up frieghters for other use, maybe aim for 2? Can use the Apinae 3mt berth for a serial build of 2
I agree that we want more ships of all these types. I disagree on how many. Again more below.
Aux Yard:
2 berths reserved for cargo and freighter construction (currently working on cargo/freighter)
Development wants three logistics ships built at a time. One freight and two cargo. Not as part of the surge, but as part of ongoing requirements.
1 berth for passenger, prospector and engineering ships (currently working on a colony ship)
1 berth for hospital ships (currently working on hospital prototype)
Remember that we also need to fit the logistical requirements for the engineering ships in here too. I suspect that no one in the Federation will be happy with how long it will take to get a new team. (16 years!)

Proposed expansion-4 berths minimum of 1mt (prefer to have 1 at 2mt to allow super-freighter construction)
2 berth for hospital ships
1 berth for passenger, prospector, engineering (can switch to cargo/freighter ships as needed)
1 berth for cargo and freighter
You have now met the development baseline for logistics construction. Two berths can get us an engineering team in (Eng->2 yrs+Freight->3 years+Cargo->2x2years) 9 years. Two in 16 if we don't make anything else.
If there's a 2mt berth we can exceed logistics requirements for as long as we can put superfreighters to work.
Starfleet berths:
Apinae 3mt-Serial build of 2 Super-freighters
*May have 1 or 2 1mt berth available for a single build of cargo/freighter (varies by build plan)*

I think we do that and combined with the current construction at member yards we can keep Starfleet up to date in aux ships.. more so as in 9 years from when the hospital prototype is finished we will have 3 aux berths free. Also getting a 2mt berth for Aux Command will let them use it for super freighter construction, even if currently we can give them a 3mt berth to do so, this way moving forward they will not need to rely on borrowing berths from us or the member worlds.
You can fight the rest of the thread for a superfreighter berth from the general construction pool on an ongoing basis. I don't have that kind of time or energy.

Your point about the hospital build ending is well taken, but the Federation has expanded since the 10 ship fleet was decided upon and is looking to expand again. We might have to make another set of five or so of them just to keep up.

To sum up my position with numbers, I think you're under estimating the auxiliary berths we want slightly. Five berths would let us clear things out in about 5 years while still keeping some other production besides logistics and hospital ships in place. Six would let us start to expand to get ahead of the next round of membership ratification.
 
@Nix, I'm only seeing two mining colonies on your map - at a guess, a dead and a neutral one.

Maybe give the Harmony a slight blue tint to their grey, to help further offset them from other stuff?
As further bonus, it marks them as a distorted reflection of the Federation, as they seem to be.
Here is an attempt with a tint of blue.

Since it seems you might have misunderstood before: The symbols I was referring to were a major colony of theirs inside their space (actually exists, hasn't definitely stated to be major though), a hypothetical dead major colony right next to it, a hypothetical unexploited mining site outside their space and a hypothetical mining colony of theirs next to it.
 
So the Voshov was really overshadowed here as all the other captains performed above and beyond the call of duty!

Breather episode in an otherwise majorly political tension focused and action packed half season.

Also, when I read the intro line to this Captain's Log I was afraid it'd mean something like 6 ships died being awesome and righteous.

Glad to see this fear was wrong.
 
Ha! Numbers I can argue about!

10-4-2(current garunteed space in build plan, I believe)=4 cargo ships remaining
8-5=3 cargo ships remaining

4 cargo and 3 freight isn't that bad, no, but it does nothing to cope with any increases in demand. More on this latter as I argue about the number of berths we want.

I agree that we want more ships of all these types. I disagree on how many. Again more below.

Development wants three logistics ships built at a time. One freight and two cargo. Not as part of the surge, but as part of ongoing requirements.

Remember that we also need to fit the logistical requirements for the engineering ships in here too. I suspect that no one in the Federation will be happy with how long it will take to get a new team. (16 years!)


You have now met the development baseline for logistics construction. Two berths can get us an engineering team in (Eng->2 yrs+Freight->3 years+Cargo->2x2years) 9 years. Two in 16 if we don't make anything else.
If there's a 2mt berth we can exceed logistics requirements for as long as we can put superfreighters to work.

You can fight the rest of the thread for a superfreighter berth from the general construction pool on an ongoing basis. I don't have that kind of time or energy.

Your point about the hospital build ending is well taken, but the Federation has expanded since the 10 ship fleet was decided upon and is looking to expand again. We might have to make another set of five or so of them just to keep up.

To sum up my position with numbers, I think you're under estimating the auxiliary berths we want slightly. Five berths would let us clear things out in about 5 years while still keeping some other production besides logistics and hospital ships in place. Six would let us start to expand to get ahead of the next round of membership ratification.
I'd dedicate a berth to superfreighters at least until we have a 2mt design, so, like 12+ years.
 
Captain's Log - 2316.Q4.M2
Captain's Log, USS Docana, Stardate 26182.4

The Romulans and Klingons are requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the incident in the Klingon Border Zone. Solitude has been chosen as the venue and we will be providing Starfleet's presence at the summit. Orders straight from the President are that we are not to take a backwards step from our position: we will not allow to carry on a war through our space, especially not against helpless targets.

-

Captain's Log, USS T'Mir, Stardate 26182.7

A series of mutations have seen the revival of a pandemic affecting a number of outlying Seyek worlds. As a result, we are back to shuttling between Seyeki worlds, tracking the gene development of the plague, aiding Seyek science ships. We have a Seyek and a Fiiral on board, and I am very conscious of their health through this time. Thankfully my biological sciences team is very well drilled, and every precaution has been taken. We are making tremendous progress in eliminating the variants of this plague, even though they are each different enough so as to need new vaccines and cures.

[Gain +3 to related event roll, gain +10rp]

-

Captain's Log, USS Avandar, Stardate 26183.1

A Honiani colonising team at a planet dubbed Uchendi, their word for a reptile not unlike a salamander, has come to grief. Initial mining channels have collapsed, trapping four dozen specialists four miles below the surface. The planet is extremely volcanically active, part of what is causing it to form so many exotic compounds and ores, but this is making it impossible to beam the crews out.

We were closer than any Honiani ships at the time and were called upon to use a phaser excavation to remove enough surface material to get a coherent transporter beam out. We were aided in this by a constant stream of reports to and from one Captain Straak.

[Gain +20sr]

-

Captain's Log, USS S'harien, Stardate 26183.5

We've arrived to help out an Indorian mining attempt find a compromise with some peculiar creatures that seem attracted to their mining equipment. The creatures, which the mining crews from Vidotti dub 'mynocks', have been chewing on an exposed power sources. This led to an absolutely disastrous incident where something gnawed on the EPS conduit supplying the main drill-head. So we're trying to find a safe solution to stop the creatures attraction to the mining equipment.

-

Captain's Log, USS Atuin, Stardate 26183.7

There was a long-standing pre-warp civilisation only a little coreward of the Ataami, though far enough above the galactic plane that we expected them to not come to Hishmeri attention. Well, let's just hope that the Hishmeri scouts haven't detected what we just dected. It seems the Lamarck are now on the map of warp-capable species, as Starbase 7 just picked up a very ugly subspace wake pattern from their system. Time to go knock on the door and let our new friends know they're not alone in the universe.

-

Captain's Log, USS Docana, Stardate 26184.1

It has not been easy to keep matters on course, and to keep the other two sides from tearing strips off of each other. But it appears that we have managed. The Romulans and Klingons are both agreeing to stop attempting to utilise Federation space in this manner, and the Klingon Empire is accepting the continuing internment of the crew of the Gak'ptah in accordance with our laws and interstellar agreements.

[Gain +15pp, both Klingons and Romulans reassured about Federation intentions and neutrality]

-

Captain's Log, USS Lightning, Stardate 26184.4

We have investigated a geographical anomaly between Ked Paddah and Laio space and discovered a cache of resources.

[Gain +30br]

-

Captain's Log, USS Pathfinder, Stardate 26185.1

A peculiar energy field around what appeared at first to be a lifeless ball of rock has revealed some rare materials.

[Gain +20sr]

-

Captain's Log, USS S'harien, Stardate 26185.7

With some careful biological inspection of these creatures, and careful checks to ensure it will not be damaging, we have developed a system of emitter devices that create magnetic null-zones around the mining equipment to prevent the mynocks from detecting the mining equipment and navigating to it. This will keep them off the backs of the Indorians.

[Gain Indorian gratitude of +35br]

-

Captain's Log, USS Atuin, Stardate 26185.9

I have met with the government of the Lamarck as Federation ambassador. They are a short species with long manes that run down their back into a tail, and a distinct green tone to their skin. We arrived not long after their own first warpship returned, and found a scene of mass planetary jubilation. Having met them and spoken to the pilot and engineer of that warpship, which you must understand is the most ramshackle creation. I think it was actually formed from a repurposed bulk liquids container. This was very much the work of a rogue genius whose ascent to space caught their world by surprise. Well, on the back of their success, they have my arrival, and now the planet is in a real frenzy.

I mean it, too, these people really know how to throw a party. There's like a three-mile long 27-hours a day festival going on at the great square in front of their government building.

[New species encountered - the Lamarck, starting relations 50/100]

-
 
- Straak is a hero. Again.

- Lamarck? Do they have anything to do with that theory of the same name?
 
Ooh, new species! And quite the resources haul, almost enough for a Miranda right there! Up to 85pp/15rp for the quarter too. Straak strikes again!
 
Captain's Log, USS Atuin, Stardate 26185.9

I have met with the government of the Lamarck as Federation ambassador. They are a short species with long manes that run down their back into a tail, and a distinct green tone to their skin. We arrived not long after their own first warpship returned, and found a scene of mass planetary jubilation. Having met them and spoken to the pilot and engineer of that warpship, which you must understand is the most ramshackle creation. I think it was actually formed from a repurposed bulk liquids container. This was very much the work of a rogue genius whose ascent to space caught their world by surprise. Well, on the back of their success, they have my arrival, and now the planet is in a real frenzy.

I mean it, too, these people really know how to throw a party. There's like a three-mile long 27-hours a day festival going on at the great square in front of their government building.
"This!" yelled the engineer, pointing to the giant, graceful warp explorer, "This is what we can build if I get funding! Now who wants to pass a budget?"
 
We've arrived to help out an Indorian mining attempt find a compromise with some peculiar creatures that seem attracted to their mining equipment. The creatures, which the mining crews from Vidotti dub 'mynocks', have been chewing on an exposed power sources. This led to an absolutely disastrous incident where something gnawed on the EPS conduit supplying the main drill-head. So we're trying to find a safe solution to stop the creatures attraction to the mining equipment.
Mynocks? Well, well...
 
That single month got us enough resources to build a Miranda. Wow.

(albeit just a base Miranda, need 5sr more for Miranda-A, or 5br more for a base Constellation)

*further benedictions to our Rock Lord and Savior Straak*
 
Back
Top