Turn 3 : Early Season, Bid Phase
Budget : 275 Spacebucks
Science Teams : 1 (Joana Lehara)
Active Advantages : None
Active Disadvantages : None
Active Long Term Deals : None
The arguments on whether the Heathens should be deployed at once or after the second (larger) construction set is done are fierce, and seem to be taking forever. And then the first wave of this years alien attack hits.. And shatters. Something is grievously, blatantly, and deadly wrong with the alien fleets. All coordination seems to have collapsed, and instances of support between ships at ranges longer then 'already fighting the battle' have utterly vanished. There are even limited and sketchy reports of enemy units opening fire on each other!
While each individual enemy ship is still far superior to anything humanity has, the benefits of 'actually having teamwork' more then make up for that issue, leading to punishing alien losses throughout the first half of the campaigning season. In the face of this, mutual agreement on saving the battlecruisers for a single devastating counterattack is quickly reached. Everyone knows this will not last forever, and soon a plan to crush the first major enemy force that manages to regain sanity is formed, in the hopes of destroying whatever alien command units are best at dealing with whatever has happened to them.
This comes far sooner then anyone would desire, as from out of the alien back-lines a massive fleet arrives, apparently forcing a return to sanity through sheer firepower. They soon have forced local enemy assets into actually working with each other again, and then drive on in force for Neo Cathedria, the planetary system that holds humanities high command node. The greatest battle the war has yet seen, with the most ships either side has devoted to a single battle, is about to begin. The Heathens sneak into the system as a deadly surprise only a bare half week before the enemy arrives.
Humanity wins.
In the face of this great success, the race is on to consolidate and expand on the gains of the victory before the aliens can rebuild enough to resume their attacks. Indeed, some annalists are warning that any underestimation of humanity will have ended in this victory, and new enemy assets may soon be deployed to battle..
[ ] - Dreadnought Project : Aletheia (Peace and Security, Incorporated)
Looking at the great success even the substandard design of the Heathen has given humanity, Peace and Security, Incorporated has rolled up their sleeves and said 'You know what? We can do better then that."
And what a job they have done. The Aletheia is the first known human dreadnought design, and it is a beast indeed. Built around a giant dreadnought sized heavy spinal mass driver, its primary armament fires nuclear warheads bigger then some shuttles. But not satisfied with that, they have also given it twin broadsides, each with heavy laser turrets much like the Heathen carries, and missile batteries akin to, but much upscaled, the ones the Swordfish uses. And then they scattered a network of light particle pulse turrets around the hull as emergency close in weapons.
It's just as impressive defensively, with two separate networks of laser point defense systems, and advanced damage control center, heavy electromagnetic armor, and a polarized hull where they utterly swear they have ironed out the issues facing the Swordfish, as well as an experimental point barrier system, which extends a secondary layer of highly concentrated shield discs around the outside of the ship's primary shields, which greatly increase the Aletheia's defense verses enemy concentrated attacks. The only questionable choice is the hardened shield generators as the ship's shields, which will prove sadly vulnerable to the ion cascades caused when enemy ionic weapons strike shields. This choice is fiercely defended as being far more useful then normal shields verses enemy Torpedo Cruisers, which had the best kill ratio verses Heathens in the battle of Neo Cathedria.
Lastly, they've somehow managed to get an Antiproton Jet Drive working. The so called big brother to the Fusion Jet Drive, the Antiproton Jet Drive is a brute power solution to moving around a Dreadnought's giant hull, but it is one of the few workable ways to get such a gigantic vessel maneuverable at combat speeds.
Of course, critics are pointing out that it merely fills the same tactical roll as the Heathen, even if it would be far more powerful..
[ ] - Frigate Project : Switchback (Hammer Industries)
Hammer Industries, on the other hand, has gone in the reverse direction, attempting to fill the still empty slot in the fleet a frigate would fill. The Switchback is armed with a network of light railgun turrets, and defended with a heavy shell of iron armor on top of a reinforced hull, with a laser point defense network just in case the enemy shows up with missile weapons. Thrustwise, it uses a Fusion Jet Drive.
While unlikely to win any rewards for innovation or sheer firepower, it is a light, cheap, easily producible ship that could make a valuable escort for Heathens or Swordfishes alike, as well as something far more expendable then a Swordfish for scouting and patrol missions.
[ ] - Experimental Cruiser Project : Sunbeam (X.A.B.)
X.A.B. is continuing to offer the Sunbeam to the board, as they claim that in the face of human capital units the aliens will likely deploy their own capital units, and the Sunbeam is a powerful capital ship killer. As was stated last time, it is armed with powerful space folding particle lance with a set of light particle pulse turrets for close in work, and a special shield system designed to recharge itself from being struck with enemy ionic weapons.
While an undoubtedly powerful asset if the enemy deploys capital assets of their own, the question is.. will they?
[ ] - Stealth Cruiser Project : Stalker (Arms Unlimited)
The Stalker is a cruiser design unashamedly dedicated to raiding and backline work. Armed with a network of heavy mass driver turrets, more valuable might be the long ranged sensor jammer, which (should) block enemy.. well, long ranged sensors, as well as any cries for help ships in combat with them make. The obvious benefits for harassing enemy supply convoys are a multitude. And while they don't prevent closer ranged sensors from doing their own work, the Stalker also comes with some stealth armor, which should make localizing the ship enough enough to shoot it hard work for enemy captains.
And if that wasn't enough, they also come with a bay full of high endurance low signature sensor probes, allowing them to gain valuable intelligence about enemy activity. Of course, if actually forced to fight a fair fight they won't enjoy it, but isn't that true for all raiders?
[ ] - Fleet Carrier Project : Mastermind (Drone And Fiddler)
The Mastermind class Fleet Carrier is an unusual design, attempting to fit two empty slots in the current fleet at once. First off, it attempts to give the fleet some carrier power, being able to carry three wings each of advanced Drone and Fiddler fighters and bombers within its hull. Secondly, it is also the first ship designed to be an admiral's flagship, carrying a highly powerful fleet coordination computer, which would greatly aid any admiral commanding from within its flag bridge. However, besides the bombers and fighters it carries, it only has a single network of light laser turrets to defend itself with, and with only a light hull and a light shield generator, it won't stand up to much enemy firepower.
Still, the admirals have stated their interest in a ship that is designed for them to command from, and it does have quite a lot of bombers and fighters within its decks.
Spacebattles Turn Post
(Human Holding Action : 95, Human Raiding : 34, Human Battleship Counter Attack : 98, Alien Offensive : 12 , Alien Raiding : 4 , Alien Holding Action : 48)