Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - The Galaxy Awaits ... Choose Your Path!(Aurora)

Brian Swartz · 03-21-2015, 08:05 PM

**There was a lot to do even though the events of this time period were not particularly dramatic. I also spent some time getting the naval officers into a spreadsheet to facilitate being able to identify promotions more quickly.**

JANUARY - JUNE 2092

The mining outlook shows a more promising picture each year, but there's still plenty of work to do when you dive deeper into the numbers. Duranium stockpiles topped 50kt by the start of the year, and by the time Sedna expires there will likely be enough stored up to last decades. On the other hand production minus Sedna is at 79% of the current need, and only 51% when you take away the other duranium sources set to be exhausted during the same timeframe. Since some of those mines will be redistributed, the actual readiness probably lies between those numbers. Mercassium is the only mineral that continues to decline albeit only by a tiny amount.

Not a whole lot happened until March, when another terraforming facility was sent off to Mars followed by the completion of blueprints for a Fletcher-sized jump drive and the deployment of the first jump-capable brigade transport. The new design is quickly hammered out:

Fletcher 84i(J) Jump-capable standard freighter
Size: 49.1 kt
Crew: 230
Speed: 733 km/s
Fuel: 400k
Cargo: 25k
Cost: 850k

These will be used anytime a single installation needs to be transported to a different system, or when 'mid-size' ships need an escort they are also a much more cost-effective alternative to the massive North Carolina jump superfreighters. They cost more than a third more than a standard Fletcher and the speed is less than three quarters of the original variant so insystem use would only be in case of emergency. Vegesacker Werft SY will be prepared to begin the first of the class before the end of the year.

At the end of March, there was the latest update from New Genesis as well. The population there is up to 830k, with industrial efficiency at three-quarters of maximum. One implication of the results there is already clear: many new colonies, such as the hostile conditions in YZ Ceti, will require a lower number of construction factories to start with since they won't have enough manpower to operate them all. Most of the comets have basic mining operations up and running, and the freighter is working non-stop to get all of the automines in place as duranium is at 18 tons and dropping. From that point on, Gov. Michael Reneau will need to carefully juggle industrial priorities in order to make sure the colony has enough infrastructure but is also expanding mining and production facilities at an appropriate rate. Much will be made of the New Genesis colony's experiences over the coming years and decades, especially in terms of fine-tuning SPACE's approaches to expansion going forward.

On April 8, engineering was busy again with a new design as the Gato jump drive was finalized.

Gato-class jump-capable small freighter
Size: 9.95 kt
Crew: 51
Speed: 603 km/s
Fuel: 100k
Cargo: 5k
Cost: 204k

Again the jump model is slower and costlier than the original. A fair number of these are expected to be needed. Virtually every system SPACE colonizes is expected to either have a surplus of some minerals, a deficit in others, or in most cases both. The Gato 84i(J) will serve as a delivery vehicle for these materials, and scheduling these trips will provide yet another beauracratic task. The smallest commercial yard, Kvaerner-Masa, presently tasked with the Portland battalion transports which are not expected to be needed for the forseeable future, will retool and the first of the class should be in production by about the middle of the third quarter this year.

Another week, and the MRD got some good news with the completion of the Guardian project so far as the shipyards are concerned. The last three were pressed into service, and training exercises will begin as soon as their captains can be relocated from other assignments. With a few shipyards still active, it is a welcome relief to the MRD that this resource drain is no longer required.

May began with news from Sedna. The completion of a 62nd mining complex there was not worth any particular bulletin, but it was accompanied by a matter of more importance. Gov. Ronald Waxman reported that the beginnings of lost efficiency have now come. Accessibility of duranium is now just slightly down(89% as compared to the 90% it has been at since operations began decades ago). It's just the start, but the long-feared Sedna crash has now officially begun. The exhaustion clock is currently just over 14 years.

The month ended with the departure of what is to be the last group of colonists sent to New Genesis, and a period of shore leave for the crews of the first cargo group returning from YZ Ceti. Before the end of the year the transition of colonization efforts between the two systems will effectively be complete.

June 12 brought more news on the research front, more a matter of future consideration than anything for the present time. Dr. Julio Kuchler has completed theoretical research into electronic warfare, allowing for the creation of ECM and ECCM suites. Practically speaking, ECM works to reduce the accuracy of beam weapons fire against a ship, and the range at which a missile fire control can effectively track the ship. ECCM works to counter these effects. SPACE's researchers will be more concerned with defensive ECM aspects, though no study of them is slated to begin quite yet.

Earth

Early January -- Another pair of Forrestals scrapped.

February 18 -- The third Guardian squadron completes training and returns to Earth for overhaul.

March 23 -- First jump-capable Arleigh Burke is now ready. A second will be ready soon, and the third hull is begun.

April 2 -- The four new Caldwell(J) jump-capable VIP shuttles are now finished.

April 14 -- Last three Guardians completed.

April 25 -- Second of the jump-capable Burke's is finished.

May 14 -- The third squadron of Guardians is deployed. Having finished their training run, they'll join the first at the Epsilon Eridani jump point.

Personnel

April 12 -- Commodore Rosemary Tallant's crew training ability is now near the top of the scale. The 46-year-old, presently in charge of the missile bases on Earth, is a serious candidate for the next chief of the navy.

April 25 -- It is announced that Governor Jedidiah Thone(Io) is retiring at 64.

May 18 -- Col. Deacon Palmer Jr. retires. Last 18 years, almost his entire career, was spent in garrison duty on Titan.

May 26 -- A new administrator joins the cause, one with a solid starter ability in mining, Mr. Harley Reagen. I expect SPACE will need every able hand in that department available for decades, so this is a good shot in the arm for the colonization efforts.

Colonial Developments

February 10 -- Sedna expands to 61. You would think they would stop building new complexes that are going to be useless in a little over a decade, but apparently the civilians are very short-sighted.

March 15 -- A new terraforming installation is ready and sent off to Mars, which will give the red planet two once again.

May 4 -- Sedna expands to 62nd complex.

Research & Development

** March 23 -- Julio Kuchler has completed work on improving tracking time against missiles, now at a 40% increase. He'll finish up theoretical electronic warfare research that is almost completed next.

** March 27 -- The jump drive for the Fletcher is now ready, and Alejandro Otteson will move on to the Gato version, already mostly completed by Bartholf before the laboratory was required for a more pressing priority.

** April 8 -- The new jump drive for the Gato is ready.

** May 29 -- A new increase in shield strength, designated Gamma level, has been finished by Elliot Monks. He'll spend the next year-plus working on cloaking efficiency, a project about 40% completed by junior researchers.

** Dr. Julio Kuchler completes Electronic Warfare research, and will next focus on fire controls extended the range of our beam weapons.

03-21-2015, 08:05 PM	#363
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	There was a lot to do even though the events of this time period were not particularly dramatic. I also spent some time getting the naval officers into a spreadsheet to facilitate being able to identify promotions more quickly. JANUARY - JUNE 2092 The mining outlook shows a more promising picture each year, but there's still plenty of work to do when you dive deeper into the numbers. Duranium stockpiles topped 50kt by the start of the year, and by the time Sedna expires there will likely be enough stored up to last decades. On the other hand production minus Sedna is at 79% of the current need, and only 51% when you take away the other duranium sources set to be exhausted during the same timeframe. Since some of those mines will be redistributed, the actual readiness probably lies between those numbers. Mercassium is the only mineral that continues to decline albeit only by a tiny amount. Not a whole lot happened until March, when another terraforming facility was sent off to Mars followed by the completion of blueprints for a Fletcher-sized jump drive and the deployment of the first jump-capable brigade transport. The new design is quickly hammered out: Fletcher 84i(J) Jump-capable standard freighter Size: 49.1 kt Crew: 230 Speed: 733 km/s Fuel: 400k Cargo: 25k Cost: 850k These will be used anytime a single installation needs to be transported to a different system, or when 'mid-size' ships need an escort they are also a much more cost-effective alternative to the massive North Carolina jump superfreighters. They cost more than a third more than a standard Fletcher and the speed is less than three quarters of the original variant so insystem use would only be in case of emergency. Vegesacker Werft SY will be prepared to begin the first of the class before the end of the year. At the end of March, there was the latest update from New Genesis as well. The population there is up to 830k, with industrial efficiency at three-quarters of maximum. One implication of the results there is already clear: many new colonies, such as the hostile conditions in YZ Ceti, will require a lower number of construction factories to start with since they won't have enough manpower to operate them all. Most of the comets have basic mining operations up and running, and the freighter is working non-stop to get all of the automines in place as duranium is at 18 tons and dropping. From that point on, Gov. Michael Reneau will need to carefully juggle industrial priorities in order to make sure the colony has enough infrastructure but is also expanding mining and production facilities at an appropriate rate. Much will be made of the New Genesis colony's experiences over the coming years and decades, especially in terms of fine-tuning SPACE's approaches to expansion going forward. On April 8, engineering was busy again with a new design as the Gato jump drive was finalized. Gato-class jump-capable small freighter Size: 9.95 kt Crew: 51 Speed: 603 km/s Fuel: 100k Cargo: 5k Cost: 204k Again the jump model is slower and costlier than the original. A fair number of these are expected to be needed. Virtually every system SPACE colonizes is expected to either have a surplus of some minerals, a deficit in others, or in most cases both. The Gato 84i(J) will serve as a delivery vehicle for these materials, and scheduling these trips will provide yet another beauracratic task. The smallest commercial yard, Kvaerner-Masa, presently tasked with the Portland battalion transports which are not expected to be needed for the forseeable future, will retool and the first of the class should be in production by about the middle of the third quarter this year. Another week, and the MRD got some good news with the completion of the Guardian project so far as the shipyards are concerned. The last three were pressed into service, and training exercises will begin as soon as their captains can be relocated from other assignments. With a few shipyards still active, it is a welcome relief to the MRD that this resource drain is no longer required. May began with news from Sedna. The completion of a 62nd mining complex there was not worth any particular bulletin, but it was accompanied by a matter of more importance. Gov. Ronald Waxman reported that the beginnings of lost efficiency have now come. Accessibility of duranium is now just slightly down(89% as compared to the 90% it has been at since operations began decades ago). It's just the start, but the long-feared Sedna crash has now officially begun. The exhaustion clock is currently just over 14 years. The month ended with the departure of what is to be the last group of colonists sent to New Genesis, and a period of shore leave for the crews of the first cargo group returning from YZ Ceti. Before the end of the year the transition of colonization efforts between the two systems will effectively be complete. June 12 brought more news on the research front, more a matter of future consideration than anything for the present time. Dr. Julio Kuchler has completed theoretical research into electronic warfare, allowing for the creation of ECM and ECCM suites. Practically speaking, ECM works to reduce the accuracy of beam weapons fire against a ship, and the range at which a missile fire control can effectively track the ship. ECCM works to counter these effects. SPACE's researchers will be more concerned with defensive ECM aspects, though no study of them is slated to begin quite yet. Earth Early January -- Another pair of Forrestals scrapped. February 18 -- The third Guardian squadron completes training and returns to Earth for overhaul. March 23 -- First jump-capable Arleigh Burke is now ready. A second will be ready soon, and the third hull is begun. April 2 -- The four new Caldwell(J) jump-capable VIP shuttles are now finished. April 14 -- Last three Guardians completed. April 25 -- Second of the jump-capable Burke's is finished. May 14 -- The third squadron of Guardians is deployed. Having finished their training run, they'll join the first at the Epsilon Eridani jump point. Personnel April 12 -- Commodore Rosemary Tallant's crew training ability is now near the top of the scale. The 46-year-old, presently in charge of the missile bases on Earth, is a serious candidate for the next chief of the navy. April 25 -- It is announced that Governor Jedidiah Thone(Io) is retiring at 64. May 18 -- Col. Deacon Palmer Jr. retires. Last 18 years, almost his entire career, was spent in garrison duty on Titan. May 26 -- A new administrator joins the cause, one with a solid starter ability in mining, Mr. Harley Reagen. I expect SPACE will need every able hand in that department available for decades, so this is a good shot in the arm for the colonization efforts. Colonial Developments February 10 -- Sedna expands to 61. You would think they would stop building new complexes that are going to be useless in a little over a decade, but apparently the civilians are very short-sighted. March 15 -- A new terraforming installation is ready and sent off to Mars, which will give the red planet two once again. May 4 -- Sedna expands to 62nd complex. Research & Development March 23 -- Julio Kuchler has completed work on improving tracking time against missiles, now at a 40% increase. He'll finish up theoretical electronic warfare research that is almost completed next. March 27 -- The jump drive for the Fletcher is now ready, and Alejandro Otteson will move on to the Gato version, already mostly completed by Bartholf before the laboratory was required for a more pressing priority. April 8 -- The new jump drive for the Gato is ready. May 29 -- A new increase in shield strength, designated Gamma level, has been finished by Elliot Monks. He'll spend the next year-plus working on cloaking efficiency, a project about 40% completed by junior researchers. Dr. Julio Kuchler** completes Electronic Warfare research, and will next focus on fire controls extended the range of our beam weapons.