PACT NOTES 10
GLOSSARY
Beanstalk Addendum: When a beanstalk is created, and only one is needed per planet, the star system is treated as if it had an additional asteroid belt. This is due to the high productivity of the planet and a decrease in need for ships with drive fields to ferry materials to and from orbit.
Belgrano, Drake: A important reformer during the Bellevue System Revolt, this philosopher-teacher encouraged the use of non-violence in political disputes with the Pact government after the rebellion was crushed. Nearly two dozen worlds were bombarded from space and hundreds of millions of lives were lost during the rebellion that was spawned in the Bellevue System. Now cherished and honored by billions of citizens, Drake Belgrano is a living legend, a man of peace and passion, a reformer and advocate of change through non-violence.
Corporate World: A significant economic enhancement used by the Pact of Humanity, Corporate Worlds increases economic investment limits from 50% to 100%. Of course this damages the environment and such worlds are not workers paradises', but economic development has always been a high priority for the Pact. Cost is 10,000 to begin building a Corporate World. It takes three months to convert to a Corporate World, after which you may buy additional IU. (Up to 100% above normal, ie a 3200 PU planet can have 3200 IU).
Daewoo Megacorporation: An ancient corporation that has its economic roots on Old Earth, Daewoo has spread out to encompass nearly thirty Clusters across the Pact. A mega-giant industrial combine, Daewoo specializes in heavy metals, construction, mining, and exotic materials creation. Current head of the company is Gi Dal Sung, who headed the Heavy Metals Division until last year.
Hernando de Soto, Admiral : One of the most influential and famous officers in Pact History, Admiral de Soto's suicidal run on the Holot Sector Armada in the defense of the Mawcarse Warp Junction saved the Pact from being overrun in the Seventh Regional War. Called "The Hammer" by friends and enemies alike, de Soto's innovative tactics and commentaries are still required reading in the Pact Navy to this day.
Farrel Family: One of the most wealthiest families within the Pact of Humanity, the Farrel family is renowned for achieving wealth on their own, without the usual kickbacks and power mongering that define so many wealthy families. Their propensity for marrying Silman (an alien race located in the Black Forest Zone) marks them as mavericks and many people who despise aliens also reject the Farrel family as well. This branch of humanity appears to generate outstanding economic leaders, and a short list of living members and their accomplishments is provided below:
Bett Farrel: The Governor of Trantor, this senior matriarch of the family dominates her clan by sheer ability. She is currently age 52 and generates 12% of the family’s wealth by her position alone. Her marriage to Selsan Farrel, a Silman , was unprecedented for a politician of her stature and sparked widespread protests among human first radicals.
Wyner Farrel: Brother of Bett and a Council Member on planet Trantor, his recent close call from an assassins bullet has thrown the entire political situation on Trantor into chaos. Senior family members have rallied to his defense however, and support from Pact officials is solid as well.
Duvvan Farrel: Current head of Zeoran Industries and senior patriarch of the clan, Duvvan is currently 73 years old and gives a wide latitude to most family members, unlike many other leaders of his house.
Yamile Farrel: Wife of Duvvan and founding member of Doctors Without Borders(Pact space) she is also a medical doctor as well and has generously supported the medical fields all across the Pact. Her role as President of Maxx Pharmaceuticals places her in a dominant role for anti-viral production.
Payel Farrel: A senior Admiral in Terra Cluster, her command has recently been enlarged by two superdreadnought divisions; a significant upgrade in firepower, a testament of her loyalty. Her campaigns against the Dionii are widely known and applauded but as a half-Silman she has been denied the Warlordship several times over.
Klyd Farrel: A senior Admiral in Omega Cluster, Admiral Farrel is currently engaged in operations against rebellious aliens within that Cluster. He is 42 years old and brother to Payel.
Sortine Farrel: Governor of Justin's World, a major contributor for anti-geriatric medicines, she is also Senior Director of the JW Medical Combine on that planet. Wife of Kamal Farrel.
Kamal Farrel: Head of JW Medical Combine, which produces anti-aging drugs by the gallon, he is also a senior family member due to his age(66). He has survived several assassination attempts by Onesider rebels and he consistently funds anti-terrorist operations out of his own pocketbook in Ramadan Cluster.
Yoser Farrel: Governor of Manticore, one of the most important planets within the Pact, he has recently approved up upgrading the Manticore WP Junction's orbital forts, an effort which cost billions but was necessary according to his press secretary. A wealthy man in his own right, Yoser races 100 meter yachts on Manticore's seas, winning several titles every year.
Rena Farrel: Senator from Twilight Cluster, she has been on Old Earth since the Civil War has broken out, trying to influence the election of the new High Secretary. Her efforts have been blocked however by the Socialists and the Dolists. She is the only Silman ever confirmed as an eCatholic.
Jateen Farrel: Current favorite among the Dolist crowd, she is a well-known and widely recognized actress across thousands of worlds. Despite her popularity, she must always conceal her arm tentacles.
Raul Farrel: Significant board member on Zeoran Industries staff, he is currently holding up the votes in the Committee to reorganize Zeoran during this time of crisis. Family members are reportedly very angry with his withholding efforts, and public statements have been widely displayed in vid-papers across the Pact at people's dissatisfaction with this black sheep family member.
Holot Race: An aggressive race of twelve-foot tall silver-furred bears, the Holots are incredibly dangerous as their technical prowess far surpasses that of the Pact of Humanity. They are one of the ancient races, having been around far longer than humans and they continue to be the Pact's number one enemy. Their status as a client race to some all-powerful super race known as the Laowon Tyranny has never been substantiated, but friendly contact between mankind and the Holots has never been sustainable due to their violently hostile natures. They typically live 80 years and take offense at nearly anything a human does, considering them upstarts on the galactic scene. The Holots have consistently won nearly every battle that they have fought with Humanity, but they hardly ever engage in ground combat, preferring to orbitally bombard a planet from space. A Holot's sense of smell is highly acute and some Pact xenologists have theorized that human beings smell odd or offensive to the Holots due to their intense capacity to smell.
Ramat Gan Megacorporation: A recent player on the Pact's economic scene, Ramat Gan has grown for a single-world corporation(Ramat Gan III), to a multi-Cluster techno-colossus. Current head of the company is Rosa Bork, but the underage Marina Glazov is set to inherit the entire company when she reaches her majority at age twenty-one. Ramat Gan engages in bio-engineered crops, organic computers, and popular techno-devices as well as some highly classified military projects for the Pact Navy. Ramat Gan also won the recent bid to maintain the Pact's Interlink system, a job well within their capabilities as a company. Ramat Gan also fields several investigatory teams in searching the Ruin Ring, an area of ancient alien habitation. Many new technological gadgets have been created by RG researchers following discovery of items within the Ruin Ring, which is a personal fiefdom of the Lord of Ruin, Marina Glazov.
Secretary-class Supermonitors: The largest warships that the Pact Navy currently produces, only twelve of the Secretary-class have been laid down and all were built in Old Earth orbit. Some Senators had cried foul at their construction around the homeworld, as many thought it was just an expensive "jobs" programs to employ Prole workers on the planet, but others(including High Admiral Nemasov) sought to retain build plans and construction techniques of the new warship design against agitators and spies. The Mount Royal was badly damaged three years ago during Operation Hardrock, and the Blind Justice was repeatedly rammed by Dionii vessels, but survived despite heavy damage. The High Secretary's personal command, the Drake Belgrano, recently underwent repairs when it was accidentally rammed in Terran orbit by a supply ship, suffering serious internal damage that nearly gutted the demobilized supermonitor. All twelve warships are now operating in two distinct groups, with Rear-Admiral Mario Garcia heading up the First Division and Rear-Admiral Nicholas Bane controlling the Second Division, both being the most sought after posts in the Pact Navy.
Rear-Admiral Garcia Rear-Admiral Bane
Atlanton Ascending Jesu Christos
Mount Royal Crown of Heaven
Glorious Retribution People's Assurance
Drake Belgrano Judgement Day
Admiral Hernando de Soto Balance of Power
Royal Dragon Blind Justice
TECHNOLOGY
Advanced Missile Launcher(Ra): Crash developed by the Binars during their war with the Goog Hive, the Ra fires twice per turn, is 3 hull spaces in size, and costs 30MCr. Dev cost: 6,000MCr, TL4.
Engines, Advanced Military (Ix): A major breakthrough in engine design, Ix were only fielded in the last two months on major Pact warships, due to their considerable cost. These engines allow +1 movement to all warships that mount them(strategic and tactical), they can "de-tune", and can "redline" their drives to a +3 emergency manuever for five consecutive turns(once in 24 hours). Cost is 15MCr per engine, TL6, dev cost is 15,000.
Hospital System(HOSP): The hospital system was developed by the Pact of Humanity primarily for relief for planets recently bombarded. For every (HOSP) system that arrives within two months of a planetary bombardment, ten EVM points of damage can be relieved, up to a maximum of 25% of the damage inflicted on the local population. Also, after each space battle, calculate the number of survivors as usual, but also keep track of the dead. When finished, halve the dead; these are the injured that would die without prompt medical care that (HOSP) can save and each (HOSP) can save 200 of these. If they're aren't enough (HOSP) to go around, too bad). Cost 100, TL1, ten hull spaces.
Interceptor Warheads(-d): A warhead fired from missiles that can be fired from XO racks or internal launchers in response to incoming missile volleys(use of the launcher counts as firing it for the turn). The interceptor closes on an incoming swarm of missiles whereupon it detonates, spewing point defense missiles. Depending on the size of the warhead(SM/CM/HBM), the warhead adds 2(SM), 4(CM), or 6(HBM) point defense shots as a "D". It can be used to defend datalinked partners, but only those in the same hex. The 2nd generation can defend friendly ships in the same hex and datalinked partners at range 1, and the 3rd generation can defend datalinked partners up to three tac hexes away and friendlies at range one.
CODE COST DEV TL
SM-d 2 4,000 3
CM-d 3 4,000 6
HBM-d 5 25,000 16
Virus Warheads, Type A(-av): First used during the Solarian Campaign, this viral warhead proved effective when used in the field, so much so that it is widely held at Depots across Pact space. Used against rebelling worlds, this agent has no long-tern side effects and has been used against 112 planets since its inception. Incapacitates a planetary population for 3-6 weeks. Immediate effect. 24 missiles needed to cover the planet. Works only on humans, cost(classified), TL9, dev cost: 8,000.
Virus Warheads, Type B(-bv) : A significant upgrade in biowarfare capabilities, the Type B virus incapacitates a population for 3-4 months. Created by Senior Researcher Mikos Knossos, it was first used during the Pikean Civil War, but failed to stop the fighting that culminated in a global nuclear strike which decimated the planet. Works on humans only, no long-term effects noted. Cost (classified), TL10, dev cost: 10,000.
Virus Warheads, Type X(-xv): The first lethal virus developed by the Pact of Humanity, only 24 missiles are needed to saturate a planet, no symptoms for 3-6 months. Works well on most humanoids. Developed for use against Dionii. Authorized use by KT and Fleet Admirals only! (Used and held like old-style nuclear weapons). Cost(classified), TL11, dev cost: 12,000.
Virus Warheads, Type Z(-zv): A deadly virus, only 24 missiles are needed to saturate a planet. Within 48 hours and all dead intelligent life on the planet is dead. Works well on most humanoids. Developed for use against Dionii. Authorized use by KT and Fleet Admirals only! (Used and held like old-style nuclear weapons). Cost is classified, TL12, dev cost: 14,000.
TRANTOR
One of the most important and productive planet within the Pact of Humanity, Trantor's central role in Pact politics cannot be understated, including its primary role as a transshipment center for new populations colonizing frontier worlds. Economically, Governor Bett Farrel has done an excellent job in the sixteen years of her rule to stabilize the productivity of Trantor, although serious unemployment continues to wrack the megaplanet. Founded in 5,431, Trantor has grown phenomenally during its 5,000 year history, reaching one trillion citizens in 9,330, becoming the Pact's number one producing planet in its entire history. The first Governor of the planet, Donello Rize enacted the first pro-growth laws that fueled the rapid expansion of the planetary population. Governor Dalen Ryan Farrel was presiding over the planet when it reached its one trillion mark and enacted a celebration day to mark the event. In 9,770, Governor Ivan Yablonov led the disastrous effort to curb population and government spending on the planet, an event that triggered a serious depression worldwide and across the entire Pact of Humanity. Many people believed that High Secretary Gabino Marco's pardon after Yablonov served a mandatory 20 year sentence for economic incompetence was a miscarriage of justice, since the planet continued in the economic doldrums for centuries afterwards. The Trantor Governing Council was set up after this horrendous economic disaster, which economic analysts theorize cost the Pact nearly a quadrillion megacredits during the 220 year slump. The Council's job was to balance out any serious mistakes that the governor could make, and they are elected by popular vote. The current Governing Council consists of the following members:
Ditana Amanso: The leading Councilwoman from the Sixth District, Ms. Amanso has not declared for either faction on the Governing Council, although she is leaning towards the government under Mrs. Farrel. The recent abduction of her twin daughters has placed Ms. Amanso under severe pressure, and Trantor security officials are investigating their disappearance. Political analysts fear that the Iddan Faction has kidnapped her daughters, which made world-wide news on Trantor, and wants to use them for some critical future vote in Council. Apparently sensing this, Councilwoman Amanso has publically submitted her resignation from the government, effectively immediately. This removes one moderate from the Council, to the consternation of the Farrel government.
Rene Esteban: The radical Councilman from the Fourth District, Mr. Esteban is not a supporter of the Mrs. Farrel' government(he supports Siggid Iddan) and has repeatedly blocked financial reforms that she has been desperately trying to get passed to alleviate Trantor's burgeoning unemployment levels. His radical Marxist views and political maneuvers have paralyzed the Council for weeks now. Having been accused of being a political hindrance(by Admiral Lushenkov no less) he is bitterly contesting a recent election that dropped him from first place to third place as Councilman of the Fourth District. If he loses his challenge in court, he will effectively be replaced by runner-up Georgina Wu, a pro-Farrel moderate.
Bett Farrel: Councilwoman of First District and trying to hold together a world with a total population of one trillion sentient beings, Governor Bett Farrel is receiving very little support from the Trantor Council, the body that helps her rule the megapopulated planet. Governor Farrel has the support of the local military commanders, including Admiral Orlando Zhu(the Skywatch Commander) and Vice-Admiral Joe Yakovac, the newly appointed head of the Trantor Bureau of Ship Production.
Wyner Farrel: Brother of Governor Farrel, his appointment to the Council nearly a year ago had been approved by High Secretary MacDonald himself, a move which stifled any opposition to his appointment. Since the outbreak of the Civil War, Councilman Farrel has consistently supported his sister's policies, including the recent and bitterly contested Naval Budget. It was this event that sparked the current divisions within the Council as the Iddan faction fought against substantial increases in naval spending and was seeking to pour money into "social contract programs". The continuing deteriorating situation in Maui Cluster, the breadbasket for Trantor, was the primary reason Mrs. Farrel sought to increase the naval funding significantly and the recent attempt on Mr. Farrel life(in his own Seventh District no less)sparked angry accusations by both sides in the Council room. Charges of nepotism by the Iddan Faction in Council have also stirred dissension, with literally billions and billions watching via holovision.
Siggid Iddan: Another radical that supports the ouster of Mrs. Farrel, Councilman Iddan controls the Fifth District and originally comes from the backwater planet New Arabia. His Arab heritage is plain, as is his manner of eliminating political rivals. Mr. Iddan seeks to replace Mrs. Farrel as Governor of Trantor, and his allies, Esteban, Rogochev, and Pico, support him totally. With his political and literal life at stake, Mr. Iddan is using every dirty trick in the book to stay in power and remove Governor Farrel from her position. Since the outbreak of the Civil War, politics has gotten very serious as of late, including mysterious "disappearances" of minor politicians who support one faction or another, and secretly Iddan supports this sort of policy wholeheartedly.
Pannaro Numata: Noted as the best looking and most influential of all Council members, Numata is still single(at age 46) and is considered by many women as the most eligible bachelor on Trantor. With literally billions of women seeking him as a mate, Mr. Numata has used this influence almost shamelessly. He represents the Eighth District on Trantor, which includes the Core Industrial Parks and Galactic Zoo. The influence Mr. Numata wields is without question, and he is a moderate supporter of Mrs. Farrel' government, although that could change easily.
Hernando Pico: An immigrant from Nuevo Monterrey, Councilman Pico has risen rapidly to power, leapfrogging over countless millions to take his place on Trantor's all powerful Governing Council. An unabashed Iddan supporter, Pico has gone so far as to sabotage Mrs. Farrel' military proposals in Council, hoping to frustrate her and her supporters, and possibly provoking a military ouster of the Governor. However, Mrs. Farrel enjoys widespread support among the military services in the Trantor System, and support from the Defense Minister, Miso Pico, the wife of Hernando. This betrayal of loyalties has led to a severe embarrassment for Mr. Pico, but he appears unfazed in public when asked about his wife’s' support for the Farrel government. He has support from the Tenth District.
Dsif Rennard: One of the most flamboyant and intelligent members of the Council, Mr. Rennard enjoys substantial support in his Ninth District, especially from the younger crowds who watched his muzak career grow into a political career virtually overnight. A Farrel supporter and moderate, Councilman Rennard has consistently supported the Naval Budget against the Iddan Faction, including a famous slap in the face upon Councilman Pico last month on live holovision. Rioting immediately broke out between Ninth District inhabitants and Pico's Tenth District, in which tens of thousands died and nearly two million were hospitalized. Rennard's public apology has placated many political analysts, and the 29-year old has gained recent support from Mrs. Farrel as well.
Dimitri Rogochev: One of the instigators of the recent impeachment of Mrs. Farrel, Councilman Rogochev has taken threats against his life seriously, to the point of arriving in Council with armed guards, which goes against all protocol. A rather fat man, Rogochev represents the Second District and is known across the planet for his eating habits, and endorsements of fine restaurants. He also heads a culinary column on Trantor's most widely read vid-paper, the Trantor Times. His sixteen children(both legitimate and illegitimate) are constantly in the news, usually in some kind of trouble. He consistently supports Councilman Iddan's policies over Mrs. Farrel'.
Mitchell Sutherland: A firm supporter of Mrs. Farrel' government, political watchers have noted that Sutherland is a majority stockholder in Zeor Industries, the Farrel family owned megacorporation. He controls the Third District of Trantor and has nearly one hundred billion constituents, including many aliens, from Mqdrekkor and Rh/attes to the very alien Chalder and caterpillar-like Ians. A recent assassination attempt on the Councilman has further destabilized the government as accusations and threats fly among the Council members.
Trantor clearly dominates much of the Pact's cultural as well, including holovision and Interlink 'casts to vid-papers. Some of the more important living celebrities are famed poet Obed Zboyan, Yolanda Umbaugh(supermodel/actress), Stephen Skiba(Sector Admiral and Farrel supporter), and Terika Aguyo, the trillionaire heiress to the Blink Industries fortune. The wealthy Farrel family itself has substantially profited from ruling Trantor and the sixteen farming worlds that provide Trantor with 99% of its food are vital to the planet for survival, subsequently there has been serious discussion within the Trantor Council to annex those worlds, which would more than likely provoke a negative response from all three neighboring Cluster governments.
The Trantor System actually contains two stars, the white giant Janus A which is incredibly hostile to planetary life, and Janus B, a main sequence and stable yellow star, around which Trantor orbits. The distance between the two stars is an amazing 444 light minutes, one of the largest orbits between stars ever discovered. Trantor boasts three orbital construction yards which were primarily commercial construction until the outbreak of the Civil War. Since the fighting began, all three shipyards, including the Farrel-owned Garsten Yards, have been cleared of commercial hulls and military hulls(mainly superdreadnoughts) have been laid down in their place. Additional heavy fleet units are being laid down in the Garsten Yards, including the new missile-heavy Warlord-class supermonitor, with twelve units being procured last month under the supervision of the Bureau of the Navy.
ANCIENT WARS
BATTLE OF CASTELETTO
One of the more important conflicts against the destructive Berserker killing machines, those life-eradicating monsters that plagued the Pact of Humanity for thousands of years, the Battle of Casteletto was the first time the Pact Navy was able to retaliate meaningfully against the Berserkers that had massed near Golden Cluster. At that time, Fleet Admiral Spencer Kloos had a small fleet of Berserker warships contained in the Fatana System, and had a large enough fleet of his own to act as a deterrent until he was reinforced by the Naval High Command, enabling Admiral Kloos to make a tactical decision and annihilate the Berserkers en masse. Casteletto had been colonized nearly two thousand years before and when the Berserkers attacked the planet, all the noncombatants were killed in an orgy of violence, with nearly 40 billion people ultimately perishing. The loss of the entire population of the planet Casteletto was the largest civilian casualties to that date at the hands of the Berserker forces. A major outcry in the Senate, led by Golden Cluster Senator Liam Goodhouse, forced to Pact Navy to deploy additional naval forces into the region. According to Admiral Kloos' log entry in 7,688, he truly believed that Berserkers were a "source of evil that must be forcefully eradicated from Pact space no matter what the cost". Continual military activity in Admiral Kloos' command, especially in that of his carrier commander, Admiral Bob Redwine, enabled the Pact Navy to force a surprise invasion of the Casteletto System in early 7,689, crushing the local Berserker forces that had gathered at the warp point. Losses during this brief battle were twelve Pact capital ships and thirteen escorts, while the Berserker's lost three Bonecrusher-class monitors.
Once Admiral Kloos' forces were in the system, mass violence began as human battleships and strikefighters poured wave after wave of destruction upon the much larger Berserker warships, who had dwindled to a mere three dozen heavy warships. But those monitors, led by a half dozen Death From Afar-class warships, fought back with a tenaciousness that hadn't been seen among organic races; with ramming tactics and suicide runs by capital ships marking the battle. However, the Berserkers used a new tactic that was unknown to Pact Navy personnel at the time: parking several powered down warships in the local asteroid belt and waiting for the much larger Pact fleet to pass them by. These vessels quietly snuck back to the warp point, and exploded into the fleet train's presence on the other side of the warp point roughly sixty hours after Kloos had cleared it.
A brutal and heroic battle ensued as six damaged light carriers, six escorting frigates, and nearly three dozen military freighters found themselves at point blank range with three deadly Death Hand-class monitors. The commander of the task group, Rear Admiral Tyson Newhouse, was horrified at the sudden appearance of the stupuendous warships in his midst and ordered the transports to scatter while he desperately tried to launch his remaining strikefighters. His carriers had all been damaged in the previous fight and could barely move under their own power, hindering the light task groups' maneuvers. The lightly armed frigate PNS Ajax was destroyed almost immediately by weapons fire from the monitors, who were practically at point-blank range, and the frigates Festus and Agrippa both heroically charged the mammoth warships, hoping to buy the lightly armored carriers time. Chaos ensued as carriers, frigates, and monitors began a wild melee of fire, maneuver, and counter fire. Captain Indira Varupa's frigate Servant had been hit badly by that time and she chose to ram a closing Death Hand monitor, taking both warships out of the fight. Seeing Varupa's successful tactic and virtually assured of the destruction of the Pact fleet train at this close range, three other frigates managed to sustain ramming tactics against the other two Berserker vessels, crippling them and allowing Rear Admiral Newhouse's strikefighters to finish them off.
Meanwhile, the fight near the planet Casteletto raged with the Pact Navy using its’ newly acquired "capital missile launcher", which proved highly effective in fielding long range strikes against the much slower Berserker warships. In fact, the newly constructed Catapult-class battleship the Pact Navy had just fielded weres a huge success. In the end, the Berserker forces were completely annihilated, but not before they collapsed the atmosphere of the planet Casteletto, killed Admiral Kloos onboard his command battleship PNS Olympian, and decimated the Pact's 16th Fleet.
SECTOR REPORT: CHANDRASEKHAR
Once a stable and prosperous Cluster located near the megaplanet Trantor, Chandrasekhar was founded in ancient times, before the Pact was conceived, with the primary world(Paragon III) colonized by people from the ancient nation of India. With the dominant work ethic of native Indians, the Cluster exploded in prosperity, especially in the last several hundred years. Lately the heavy-handed rule of Senator Yitzak Ortegza has prompted secessionist moves, spreading the chaos of the Civil War into this once stable Cluster.
Catastrophic infighting between naval arms(the Skywatch Command and the Frontier Fleet) and the bureaucracy under Ortegza has literally torn the Cluster apart, with four different spheres of influence forming out of the rubble. Billions of lives have been lost as nuclear and antimatter strikes on planetary targets by Onesiders, the Navy under Fleet Admiral Braxton Bragg and General Rinass Dedic on Kyushu, radical Liberationists, and Ortegza's forces have wracked up brutal casualty lists. Several cases in point include:
Wurtemburg
Defended by a mere six destroyers, Wurtemburg was a pro-Ortegza planet and was attacked by Admiral Bragg's forces(fifteen battlecruisers and two dreadnoughts) late in the year. While Captain Gabaldon of the PNS Lion knew it was hopeless to fight a task force that large, he attempted ramming runs, desperate to defend the planet from what would surely be a brutal orbital bombardment. The Nefti and the Pommeroy both were successful in their ramming attempts, destroying two battlecruisers and crippling a third with hetlaser fire. The rest of the defending fleet was rapidly eliminated. Wurtemburg itself had very few fixed defenses, with only two dozen planetary defense missiles able to attack the oncoming warships. These submarine-mounted missiles and thirteen additional rail-based missiles were able to strike the targets and their large antimatter warheads worked perfectly, obliterating all five enemy battlecruisers before they could fire on the planet. Wurtemburg's major population centers, including the capital Neu Ulm, were severely bombarded after the loyal planetary Governor Kelly Gattanam refused to surrender. Nearly two billion casualties were inflicted before the Bragg task force withdrew, leaving nothing but smoking ruins in the place of cities on the planet. Many of the German colonists on the planet have subsequently been able to survive without technology due to their hardy heritage, and a mild oncoming winter on the planet. Relief efforts from the Ortegza faction have been few, although a temporary spaceport has been set up on the Great Western Island, enabling people to be evacuated to moon and asteroid colonies within the Wurtemburg System. Automated mines have been built by the surviving asteroid colonies in the system and they have been emplaced at the Wurtemburg-Jamdat Nasr warp point, effectively sealing it off. Recolonization efforts continue, despite the heavy radiation clouds that periodically circle the planet.
Voykovo
The planet Voykovo had recently built planetary shield generators as the Civil War spread to nearby worlds(under the wise direction of Governor Layna Bekishev). However, a recent attack by Governor Ortegza's forces against this "disloyal" planet was brilliantly quick and needlessly ruthless. The shield generators held out against the orbital bombardment by Ortegza's fleet, until large numbers of ground troops were dropped onto the planet. Serious fighting broke out as planetary defenders engaged the newly dropped troops, but Ortegza had utilized elite drop commandos, who quickly eliminated the shield generators and destroyed the Governor's residence in a sneak raid. Voykovo had been independent but heavily leaned towards the megaplanet Mauna Loa because of its close economic ties to that high-population world. Over 100 million colonists, mainly of Russian descent, were killed even though General Yevgeny Yenov held the shield generators for as long as possible. He and his surviving ground forces(including the 1st Hovertank Division and the 119th Infantry Regiment) continues guerilla tactics in the Novgorod Mountain Chain. Marine Brigadier Antonio Hulse, an attaché from Mauna Loa, leads an unofficial regiment of ML Marines(some of the galaxy's toughest and most experienced soldiers) in hit-and-run raids against the Ortegza occupiers, with his main operating base in the Mile High Mountains.
The Tyree System
The Tyree System, with a population of 10 billion, all
of whom living in asteroid colonies, is also the location of the famous "Ruin
Ring", an area of hundreds of alien habitats dating back to ancient times.
The current Lord of the Ruin is the nineteen year old Marina Glazov, who is
old enough to hold the title which is kept in perpetual fief to her family(the
spectacular efforts of her distant ancestor, Admiral Gabina Glazov, during
the Fourth Dionii Wave enables her to hold title to this wealthy system).
She currently lives on the megahabitat Gloaming Spleandour, and oversees
investigation of Ruin Ring artifacts, which are far more sophisticated than
current Pact technology. Recent military raids by Rear-Admiral Peter Osterhaus'
forces have been repelled, but at high cost(eight destroyers lost) and bids
for construction of battlecruisers-sized warships have recently been let out
by the Lord of the Ruin in an attempt to maintain the independence of the
Tyree System. Several remarkable bids by the Iwo Jima Depot, located adjacent
to Tyree, and the Gilan System(known everywhere as the best shipbuilders in
Pact space) have been offered, including a substantial bid by Gilan for the
construction of 12 Merciless-B and 12 Storm-class battlecruisers.
The Lord of the Ruin has not taken up any of these contracts yet, but she
appears to be ready to within the next few weeks. Her security fleet, consisting
of three Bombard-class battlecruisers and thirteen Disrupt-class
destroyers, is not enough to withstand another major attack by any neighboring
systems. Only the efforts of one old-style primary beam-equipped Valiant-class
battleship(the PNS Refuge) is the only reason the system hasn’t been
overrun.
Mauna Loa
The politically moderate high-population world Mauna Loa has been desperately trying to moderate between factional forces, but to no avail and has recently come under fire by unknown forces in response to its diplomatic overtures. After repeated offers of help the Governor(Niko Jaremba) has finally washed his hands in disgust at the whole situation and appealed for outside help. However, Governor Jaremba has recently dispatched ML Marines(some of the galaxy's best fighters) to worlds that have requested them as a security precaution.
Iwo Jima
As fighting continues to grow, both Senator Ortegza's forces and the Pact Navy under Fleet Admiral Braxton Bragg are fighting over the multitudes of mothballed ships in the Iwo Jima Depot, with serious nuclear and antimatter strikes against nearby worlds punctuating their naval clashes. Over one hundred capital ships are stored in Iwo Jima, which is the Cluster's primary Depot and whose commanding officer(Vice-Admiral Ven Asmussen) has not declared for either side.
Kennedy
The omega world Kennedy is currently the main operating base for the Onesiders, with dozens of local worlds voicing their support for this bizarre anti-technic regime. The Onesiders will most likely lose the conflict however, for all three sides bitterly despise their regime and actively seek its’ downfall from power. The planet Kennedy produces a incredible amount of GPV for the Onesider movement, which is currently the only thing keeping the guerillas in the fight. When the Yaowan Civilian Repair Slips fell to the radicals, the following ships were captured in drydock:
· One Avenger-class superdreadnought,
· Three Clamour-class dreadnoughts,
· Two Catapult-class battleships,
· Two Celebrate-class battlecruisers,
In a short-sighted move, the Pact of Humanity decided to “skip” a generation of warships(the monitor class) to save money. It was thought that the need for capital warships would be made up of front-line dreadnoughts and superdreadnoughts, with a limited “silver bullet force” of supermonitors located at strategic worlds across the Pact of Humanity. However, with widespread fighting breaking out all over Pact space, the desperate need for capital warships is evident. A half dozen Chandrasekhar worlds are crash building several new monitor and supermonitor designs, but it will be at least 12 months before any of these new vessels come online. The original fleet mix of 90% SD/DN/BC units was fairly flexible but hundreds of carriers are now being laid down in a mad rush of self-defense.
Cetaganda
The Liberationist faction has mainly stuck to the omega world Cetaganda, prosecuting a deadly war against their traditional rival Barrayar, a conflict that Cetaganda appears to be winning with the significant support by Senator Ortegza. Lethal strikes by weapons of mass destruction, including a new form of bio-virus, have been occurring regularly between the two planets, which are only separated by two warp points. Governor Zoe McPhee has stated publicly that Cetaganda will finally “overcome” their long term adversaries within the year, and she has mass support from the populace which now numbers over 100 billion sentients(including a large minority of Cranii). This conflict, which has raged on and off between the two Marxist states, is based in a split over economic issues and political jealousies. The orbital beanstalk on Barrayar has been destroyed during the recent fighting, killing nearly 120 million civilians when it fell from orbit and impacted on the southern Delta Continent.
Kyushu
Along the border with Qasr Bani major fleet units are being assembled by Rear-Admiral Earl Van Dorn in Kyushu and Rear-Admiral Peter Osterhaus who are hoping to hold back the Goog forces that appear to be on the move. The spider-like carnivorous Goog are the greatest threat to face Chandrasekhar Cluster, and fighting between Ortegza's forces and Bragg’s has dropped to a trickle as both leaders fear a Cluster overrun with fast-multiplying Goog forces. Nearly two dozen superdreadnoughts, including the newly constructed Fearless-class, have been deployed to Kraken, a critical brown dwarf system on the border between Chandrasekhar and Qasr Bani Cluster. Rear-Admiral Earl Van Dorn has desperately been pleading for carriers but apparently none of the rare warships can be spared from the fighting, although Kyushu has committed to building at least sixteen Brazen-class CVL and three of the new experimental Lexington-class battlecarriers. Additionally, nearly three dozen Merciless and Bombard-class battlecruisers have been deployed to Kyushu, all of them missile ships under the command of Admiral Van Dorn, the infamous hero of the Far Stars Campaign. While the power-hungry General Rinass commands in the Kyushu System, Van Dorn has taken over all naval operations insystem including Downbelow Station, the primary shipyards.
Other Chandra Worlds
Minor skirmishes between Onesiders and the newly formed Trans-Sentient Alliance(the humanoid Mohd and machine-like Ixians) have also broken out but have remained primarily automated weapons strikes against spacebourne infrastructure like shipyards and orbiting farms. The machine world Ix is fantastically productive and its defenses have been strongly built up over the last several months, with tech trade between their Mohd allies helping their efforts. The Mohd look exactly like humans(minus the pupil in the eye) are crash building a whole new fleet, including(according to Chandran Naval Intelligence) two dozen dreadnoughts and escorts in the Tackleerd Yards.
ERRANT ONE
The massive dreadnought burned in space as escape pods fled from its armored flanks and automated weaponry continued to fire. Fleet ships, pitch black and dark as the space surrounding them, continued to harry the much larger warship. Its escorts and fellow ships of the line had died very near the gas giant it now orbited, and now, in the last moments of it's life, the ship sadly fought on. Flashes of laser light and balls of plasma struck out blindly at swift attackers, but to no avail and finally an arsenal of missiles thundered down from a nearby battlecruiser-sized warship, released the final blow. Icy black space briefly lit up all around as million-degree explosions tore the lumbering dreadnought apart. Finally, as the brilliant release of matter and anti-matter abated, darkness fell again, fell to cover the escaping lifepods with their precious cargo....
"I'm scared", the massive man in the uniform of a Pact Marine stated flatly.
Looking at him for a moment, Captain Daladier slightly smiled, trying to reassure the man as he looked back at the red-orange atmosphere of the gas giant that completely filled the lifepod port. The Marine was huge, easily massing over 250 pounds and standing over six feet in height, although his uniform was tattered and covered in smoky debris. The smell of the smoke was strong and it reeked of burned rubber and blood. His nose flared at the stench and he slowly sat back down into the emergency pods' seats, nursing his injured back. Suddenly, screaming pain shot up his back as he finally rested his posterior on the hard plastic seat, wishing silently for some cushioning, and he let his mind wander.
How could I have lost my ship? Was there anything I could have done differently? How many of the crew survived? Oh god...
Lost in his thoughts, captain Erik Daladier barely noticed the Marine sitting back down across the small cramped compartment.
"We're trapped in the gravity well of the planet, aren't we?"
For a moment, the Captain didn't look at the man, then glanced up at the blinking displays on the pods' wall. Clearly, and frequently, the red alarm light was urgently blinking, indicating that they were indeed trapped in the planets' terrible pull. He looked down for a moment at the gray-green plating on the pods' floor and said in a sad voice,
"Yeah.....yeah, that's right."
The young man, a corporal who was only in his twenties by Daladier estimation, looked at him with fear in his eyes. His hands were tightly clasped around what looked like his Marine beret.
"We're gonna die, aren't we?"
Not wanting to look at the young man, Daladier closed his eyes for a moment. The rest of the fleet had been destroyed by those damn organic warships, something that no one had seen before, and there was almost no hope of being rescued by the time the life pods' engines ran out of fuel trying to compensate for the massive planets' drag. In fact, if he did the math correctly, and he did, they would be dead within the hour as the pod was finally pulled deeper into the deadly atmosphere of the gas giant. He opened his eyes again and looked at the Marine.
Since Daladier had taken command of the Renaissance a year ago, he had only seen Marines on the bridge three times. A Marine detachment aboard a navy ship sleeps in its own separate compartment--away from the ship's crew--and operates the onboard brig, or jail; fires the guns during battle, and provides all-around security for the ship.
He opened his eyes slowly and looked at the young man with a regretful face and said simply,
"Yeah."
The Marine looked away then, out the pods' only portal, maybe trying to keep his fear or tears from view. He began shaking lightly as Daladier watched, and the Captains' heart wrenched at the sight. How many more people would die?
Daladier lightly coughed then, hoping to distract the young man from the immediate future. The beefy Marine looked back at the Captain who was wearing the gray and gold of the Pact naval service.
"What's your name son?"
"Mitchell, Sir, Aaron Mitchell."
"And where are you from?"
The young man, brown hair amiss and deep black eyes staring, was silent for a moment, and then said with embarrassment,
"Athos, Sir".
Daladier paused for a moment, shocked at the huge Marines' answer. Athos was a single-sex world, an all male world. Daladier had heard of Athos, and the cracks made about its .....odd inhabitants. Reproduction on the planet was supposedly done through artificial wombs, and the sex of the baby(always male) was preselected at birth. Genetic engineering enabled the Athosians to grow huge, to survive the incredibly hostile weather on the planet. That weather, with over 200 mile per hour winds, was the main reason many Athosian immigrated offworld he assumed but it was their enormous size that made them the best fighters, and hence their regular induction into the Pact Marines. He had heard snickers about Athosians in the officers mess, but this young man didn't seem too bad. He himself had grown up on a farming world in Recife Cluster and had never met a "one-sexer" before.
Daladier's face didn't change during but his mind did, and he asked, mainly out of curious disgust.
"Are you married?"
The Marine, a obviously good-looking man, held up his left hand, showing a golden band on his ring finger, and then let it silently drop. He continued to eye the Captain for a moment, and then said,
"I'm not going to see him again...am I?"
Shaken by the revelation that this absolutely huge Marine was a same-sexer, he couldn't say anything, merely shook his head slowly, negatively. Daladier then let out a huge sigh, and leaned back against the ice-cold bulkhead as the pods' jets started to fire again, trying in vain to negate the gas giants' deadly pull.
Earlier in the year, Admiral Spencer had declared the Renaissance his flagship, the command center for the enormous resources of Fifth Fleet. Spencer liked the Renaissance's speed, and he liked her age. As an older Admirable-class superdreadnought, he reasoned that if his presence was needed in an emerging hot zone, she could be withdrawn from battle without disrupting the battle plan.
Daladier himself liked to describe his ship as a "happy ship", and his easygoing nature was extraordinary for a naval Captain. Most commanders, enlisted men joked, were either big SOBs or little SOBs. Daladier, however, was neither. He was known for his egalitarian spirit and for his graciousness. When new crew members came aboard, he made an effort to greet them by name, saying, "Welcome, crewman. We're going to have a happy cruise."
But it wasn't happy anymore, and he began to think of his sister, and her two wonderful children, and how much he was going to miss them. He himself had no children and wasn't married, except to the Navy, and now he was going to die. And so was the young man across from him. The Marine was looking at his combat boots, not saying anything, and Daladier wanted to somehow comfort the young man, to help him. But he couldn't do either one; their circumstances were impossible to overcome, and as he watched the soldier, the Marine looked up, right into his eyes.
Tears were in them, tears in the eyes of a Marine. The realization had set in, Daladier was sure. And his heart broke for the man. He thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Do you have children, with your....?"
"Husband, yeah. Two boys. Twins, both four."
"I'm sorry," Daladier spoke, with sincere meaning in his voice.
"I know," the huge Marine spoke one last time. And they continued their journey...
DESPERATE ESCAPE
With the recent death of High Secretary Devon MacDonald the effort to replace him has begun, but earlier in his tenure the High Secretary faced a life or death situation and only a much hated alien saved him from the hands of the virulent Dionii. In 10,961 the High Secretary was touring the front lines of the battlezone between the Pact Navy and the massing Dionii hordes with SelsAN Farrel, who was a Silman and senior Admiral at the time. According to press reports the Admiral and the High Secretary got along famously, with the Admiral telling of his remarkable battles during the last two Dionii Waves and the High Secretary appearing equally impressed. The Fleet Review on the front lines was going well until a major surprise attack by stealthy Dionii fleet forces cut off Admiral Cavalier's fleet. The fast-moving raid trapped him in Hamimoto, unable to receive reinforcements from the fleet in nearby Ullimos and it was only because of the "no fly zone" using drones and fighter craft that always accompanies the High Secretary that they were alerted to the presence of the Dionii at all. A desperate war of maneuvers began as Admiral Farrel sought to avoid action against his numerically superior foe, a force at least three times his 118 ship-fleet. Realizing that no friendly fleet could penetrate the system after the Dionii set up a blockade with another intruding fleet, Admiral Farrel began to make a run for the Hellspont, a WP nexus that had recently been cleared of Dionii activity only a few months before. His fleet came under very heavy fire at the Hamimoto-Hellspont warp point by Dionii forces but the 10th Fleet deployed its drones and automated pods against their attacking foes, decimating the enemy and allowing every major warship to escape the deadly trap. At this point, over 300 enemy vessels had been destroyed, and only thirteen light Pact warships had been lost. Captain Slobodanka Bonato, commander of 10th Fleet's battlecruiser divisions, dispersed the last of her antimatter missiles throughout the fleet while retaining only the last SBMs for her missile warships.
It was in Hellspont that Captain Yulia Petrovskaya(commanding the heavy cruiser PNS Reliant) and Captain Olga Romanova(heavy cruiser PNS Gatwick), both cousins of the High Secretary, perished in fierce fighting against the Dionii hordes. Romonova's loss was especially hard for the High Secretary, since he had grown up with the Captain on Old Earth and went to university together. It was at the Careta-Hellspont warp point that some of the most desperate fighting occurred, with nearly every capital ship in Admiral Farrel' command taking heavy damage and according to his final reports, only the actions of the 66th Batron saved the entire fleet from being destroyed. The 66th Batron was comprised of three older Admirable-class dreadnoughts which mounted new-style graser beam weapons and were under the command of Vice-Admiral Renaldo Chavarra. Trying to buy the fleet more time to transit the warp point, Chavarra interposed his dreadnoughts between the Pact fleet and the onrushing Dionii swarms. Although Admiral Chavarra perished when his dreadnought was badly hit, Captain Peter DellaFlora(commanding the dreadnought PNS Desolation) retained command and continued to fend off the Dionii forces through massed beam fire of his accompanying dreadnoughts(PNS Watchful under Captain Joe Matarazzo and PNS Restoration under Captain Hate Ramic).
Having made a run for it, Admiral Farrel had been awake using his "augmenting" abilities for nearly 150 hours, seeking the safety of the fleet base in the Careta III System, however when the Pact fleet arrived it found the base in ruins and it was obviously the work of Dionii forces. He then made the transit into the MXL-844 system, hoping to hide in the vast darkness of the nomad expanse but his plans were rudely interrupted when a Dionii fleet of comparable size surprised the Pact forces at the warp point. Admiral Farrel committed his fighters at this point, knowing that they would be badly mauled against the Dionii anti-fighter destroyers that made up the majority of the enemy fleet. Missiles rained down on both fleets as hundreds of fighters died destroying the Dionii forces, which wiped out nearly 90% of Admiral Farrel' defensive craft. Realizing that staying in the MXL system was utterly hopeless, Admiral Farrel began to make his way back to Hellspont via the MXL-Hellspont warp point. His fleet made it in record time and transited to TG-210, then Guriba Minor, a former Pact system that had been scoured clean of inhabitants at the beginning of the 20th Dionii Wave just a few months earlier. The High Secretary was infuriated at this point, according to most sources, and ordered Admiral Farrel to get some sleep since he had been continuously awake for over 300 hours. The run between Guriba Minor and Keyhole went quickly, and between Keyhole and Genderix, but it was in Genderix that the Pact fleet faced its most serious opposition.
Stripped of all its defensive drones and most of its fighter craft, the 10th Fleet faced a critical situation as hundreds of light Dionii warships(a favorite Dionii design) and two dozen enemy superdreadnoughts blocked their way to safety. Shocked at the number of enemy ships in Genderix, Admiral Farrel concluded that escape to the fleet base in Daldorran would be futile but his Flag Captain, Omar Jett, proposed a radical idea. The life of the High Secretary was vital for the continuation of Pact stability, so Captain Jett asked for authorization for his destroyer escorts to ram enemy superdreadnoughts at the earliest opportunity. Although initially horrified at the proposal the Admiral relented after a few moments and ordered their employment. As the Pact battleline closed on the Dionii forces, long-range missile fire opened up and although many of the Pact's heavy warships were damaged during the battle, all of them made the escape to Daldorran. Only the superdreadnoughts Esteemed, Zealous, Tin Htun, and Relentless(the Admiral's own warship), were badly damaged when they finally made transit. None of the 10th Fleet's destroyers(under Captain Hack Baytos) survived after the order to ram was given and the Ashdod, Court, Narrow, Surround, and Gateway were able to destroy their enemy targets when they rammed at full speed. Admiral Sels Farrel' actions were widely broadcast across the Pact, regardless of his status as an alien, and he received the Warlordship, the first for any alien being. Captain Slobodanka Bonato and Captain Hack Baytos received the Admiralship for their bravery under fire as well.
Finally, the newly built Addis Ababa-class superdreadnought also played a substantial role at critical points in several battles and all three warships, the PNS Antananarivo, Windhoek, and Johannesburg(345th Batron), survived the battle intact, if completely depleted of missile ordinance. Each superdreadnought packed three oversized vertical missile arrays and sizable plasma gun decks, being able to lob incredibly large capital missile volleys at the massing Dionii forces. According to Admiral Farrel’ confidential reports, it was only the efforts of the Addis Ababa-class warships at critical juntures that kept his fleet from being completely overrun. In Genedrix several transports in the Fleet Train were destroyed however while under guard by the 345th, including the hospital ship PNS Mercy and for his lack of judgment, Admiral Farrel sacked Commodore Jenkins immediately afterwards. His protestations that his superdreadnoughts had suffered missile cell exhaustion went unsubstantiated.
EVENTS TO WATCH
Terraforming Station Built
The first large-scale terraforming project was begun in Islands Cluster, with planetary engineers trying to moderate the freezing/burning cycle on Yorik IV, the world nearest the planet Majestic. Currently being overseen by Project Manager Jim Granatstein, the initial estimates appear to confirm that this Type O2 world will be terracompatible in less than ten years. The costs of this massive project, although classified, is reported to be astronomical.
High Secretary Nominees
Four official nominees for the post of High Secretary have been listed on the Interlink, with the strongest challenge coming from Joseph Composto, Devon MacDonald's first cousin. With most of his support coming from eCatholics, "Compost Joe" is not favored by the majority of the Senate, but Chanquilla Nesbitt and Javier Medina showed strong gains in secondary voting. The assassination late last month of leading contender Demetrios Gaines shocked the Senate and the rest of the Pact of Humanity, and threw the field wide open. After his death, serious fighting between Dolists(who support Nesbitt) and Socialists(who supports Medina) was reported in dozens of major cities on Old Earth.
Dionii Launch Major Offensive
According to naval sources in the government, the Dionii have launched a major offensive into the under strength Nemo Combat Region, seriously threatening several planets, including Justahewima and Romero's World. Additional heavy fleet units have been rushed forward to halt the advanced, with the new Addis Ababa-class superdreadnoughts leading the way. Fleet Admiral Irving Spalley said last week, "The Region will hold, I have no doubts about that. We just need some additional funding from the government."
Warlord Marissa Pei Assassinated
The death of Warlord Marissa Pei on the luxury world Tonowah has horrified locals at the death of this heroic figure. After heading up crushing defeats upon Dionii forces late in the 19th Dionii Wave, then Admiral Marissa Pei received the Warlordship for streamlining Pact naval production in Heinlein Combat Region, enabling the area to withstand the strongest attack ever in Pact history. The assassination of such a high government official, by relli poison, is being investigated by planetary law officers after the disappearance of the Kona Tatsu several months ago.