7-1: The Age of War(Games)
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Would the HSWS care to institute any lessons learned from this war game? Re-Run the exercise with equal tonnages on both sides, Investigate radiation shielding and other potential countermeasures for radiation.
Are there any modules the HSWS would particularly like to see designed? CAM module, to turn the ship into a light carrier. Fuel module, to turn the ship into a tanker. Engineering module, to turn the ship into a mobile repair and construction platform.
What will be done with it? Construct one 2.5K armed defence station.
War Gaming
Over the next months, multiple ships go out into the far reaches of the Home system and demonstrate their capabilities against one another:
- In the first game, the Perkūnas is set against three smaller Interstellar Cruisers. She is out-gunned in just such a scenario, and even with the deployment of nuclear torpedoes, she is only able to disable one of the cruisers before radiation and hull damage from the cruisers twelve particle cannons flags her as mission-killed. It should be noted that a cruiser at full strength was only able to intercept or spoof five of the three incoming torpedoes, and thus suffered significant damage after impact. The use of nuclear warheads would greatly increase the damage these three munitions can do, while multi-warhead torpedoes would improve hit counts against the enemy.
- In the second, the Perkūnas once again sails into the black with an Interstellar Cruiser and two Frigates accompanying her. Many in the staff office have called for the frigates to act more aggressively, closing the range in order to distract the larger cruiser from her principal target. Instead, when the combat starts, they break from their companion cruiser and boost away in company. They open the range as the IC is mission-killed in short order by a combination of particle beams and torpedoes. Then, at ranges of up to half a million kilometres (almost two light seconds) they launch barrages of nuclear missiles and the only response the MMV has is her torpedoes. After three hours of combat, the Perkūnas is declared the winner on a technicality - she still has ten of her crew flagged as non-causalities, while the Frigates have both been reduced to two crew total.
This is a fascinating look into the capabilities of guided munitions beyond the range of sensors to get a good lock. At two light seconds, self-guided weapons are still able to effectively engage their enemies while fires from the particle beams aboard the Perkūnas are functionally guessing where the enemy might be. When the enemy is a sixth your size and capable of applying up to 6G's in any direction, a random walk can keep them well out of the guns sights.
Radiation shielding is clearly about to become a necessity for ships in the fleet, and indeed it begins a crash program in testing capabilities for hull designs that can accommodate various enhancements to improve the fleet. This program discovers:
- Heat shielding, as we have previously used on some shuttles and other small craft, will also be useful to protect a craft against the heat of the star at relatively (note - millions of kilometres) close ranges. Heat shielding an interstellar cruiser cannot be applied post-facto and would cost 100MCr.
- Radiation shielding will protect against the washes of harmful radiation emitted by proximity to a star, certain stellar bodies and also the weapon systems primarily deployed by the fleet. Radiation shielding an interstellar cruiser would need to be done during construction and would cost 25MCr.
- Stealth systems would minimise electronic emissions as well as absorbing some incoming radar and lidar pulses as well. It would not hide a ship from being detected, but it can spoof sensors and confuse attempts to get an accurate location, bearing or identification of a ship. Applying stealth systems must be done during construction, requires 2% of the volume of the ship and would cost 40MCr. on an interstellar cruiser.
It would seem that technology is moving beyond our ability to refit the Interstellar Cruisers. Would the HSWS consider a new main combatant and, if so, how should it be designed?
[ ] A successor to the Interstellar Cruiser, of similar size.
[ ] A second class of MMV's, incorporating lessons from the war games.
[ ] An intermediate design of around 2,000 tons.
[ ] Other - write in.
How should it be armed?
[ ] A mixed armament of torpedoes and particle beams.
[ ] A mixed armament of missiles and particle beams.
[ ] Solely one armament type - which?
[ ] Other - write in.
In regards to a defence station, which would include many of the similar design principles incorporated into it, there are questions of secondary functions. Some argue that it should be an anchorage and headquarters for the HSWS. Others that it should be at least partially committed to the orbital construction of small craft such a shuttles and fighters. Others still think it should be as much a hostel for sailors as it is a weapons platform, with housing for those whose ships are in dock without the need for them to return to the surface.
What secondary role should the station serve?
[ ] It should be a pure defence station.
[ ] It should be capable of building small craft.
[ ] It should be an anchorage station.
[ ] Something else - write in.
Please present any votes as a plan. Voting opens at
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