The Way of Being
By Leslie Bates
Chapter One
March 5, 2150
10 Ursae Majoris System
The Federation Ship Epping Forest dropped into normal space off of Loki, the fourth planet of 10 Ursae Majoris A. Like most vessels in the service of the Federation Space Force she was armed. But she was not a proper warship, merely an armed transport. Even so she was not flying alone on this trip.
On the bridge of the Epping Forest the command pilot, Major Franz Bergmann, softly cursed in his native German. Like all citizens and officers of the Federation, Bergmann was fluent in Standard Anglic, he just didn’t want the curse to be understood.
The problem was that the other vessel in the two ship convoy, a chartered liner named Meridian had not yet reentered normal space with the Epping Forest.
Bergmann rechecked the status display, cursed again, and then turned to the young lady who was his executive officer.
“We will wait here until Meridian drops in.” He said. “Watch the shop.”
“Yes sir.” Said the Exec.
As Bergmann turned to exit the Bridge the communications panel chirped.
Bergmann turned back to see the Executive Officer reading the message from her station.
“It’s a Freyani patrol ship,” she said, “they’re asking if we require assistance.”
For a moment Major Bergmann contemplated the damage the tiny colonial patrol ship could do to a space going piece of junk like the Meridian.
“Tell them ‘no’”, said Bergmann. “But think them for the offer.”
Bergmann exited the bridge.
On the civilian version of the Ashland class transport the next compartment would be the forward passenger lounge, with the crew lounge in a separate compartment just forward of the engineering spaces. On the Space Force version there was no separation between the crew and passenger spaces as in most cases the few passengers who flew on military transports were members of the Federation Armed Forces.
Except on this trip they were carrying a V.I.P., the newly appointed Governor of the planet Loki.
Ian March Weymouth was a descendant of the founder of the Federation and as a child of privilege he would have been expected to travel out to Loki on the chartered liner Meridian. Instead he chose to take a cabin on the Epping Forest because he felt more comfortable on a military transport than on a civilian liner. But then Weymouth was not a normal child of privilege.
Unlike many members of upper class families, who would drink and otherwise party their way through elite universities, Ian Weymouth chose to enlist in the Regular Army of the Federation and served out the full twenty years to retirement. And though he retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, Weymouth did not neglect his own education, earning a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Minnesota.
So when the Federation President decided to appoint a Governor for the planet Loki, Ian Weymouth stood at the top of the list of candidates.
In the crew lounge Major Bergmann found the newly appointed Governor attacking a small pile of scrambled eggs with melted cheese sauce, hash brown potatoes, and toast.
Weymouth took a sip from his cup of coffee, and then spoke.
“Good morning Major,” he said. “I take it that we’ve arrived in the system?”
“Yes, sir.” Said Major Bergmann. “We are still waiting for the Meridian.”
“I’ll bet it’s going to be another sixteen hours.” Said Ian. “That would be a reasonable assumption, sir.” Bergmann replied, politely declining to cover the wager.
“Right.” Said Ian.
Before Major Bergmann could turn around the aft door to the lounge slid open and two Federation Marines entered the crew lounge and moved straight to the breakfast buffet line. First Lieutenant Otomo and Gunnery Sergeant Burnette headed up the Marine Security Detachment for the new Governor of Loki.
“Good morning, Skipper.” Said Lieutenant Otomo.
“Good morning, Lieutenant.” Replied Major Bergmann as he picked up a tray and joined the two marines in the buffet line.
“We’re waiting for the Meridian again, sir?” Said the Gunnery Sergeant.
“Afraid so, Gunny.” Said Bergmann.
Major Bergmann watched as both marines heaped scrambled eggs, and other stuff on to the plates on their trays. Lieutenant Otomo piled on sausage patties and hash browns, and Gunnery Sergeant Burnette opted for bacon and grits.
“I’d bet that its going to be another sixteen hours before they drop out of jump, sir.” Said Lieutenant Otomo.
“That would be a reasonable assumption, Lieutenant.” Bergmann replied, again declining to cover the wager.
Major Bergmann picked up a plate and started piling his breakfast on it. Scrambled eggs, corned beef hash, and hash browns, all covered with melted cheese sauce.
The three officers sat down at the table with the Governor and proceeded to devour their morning meals.
“So was there anything else of note, Major?” Ian asked.
“The Freyani are still running an anti-piracy patrol, sir.”
Freya was the other inhabitable world in the 10 Ursae Majoris system. It orbited the G5 binary companion of 10 Uma.
The people who colonized Freya believed in Laissez Faire Capitalism and being armed to the teeth. And they had no love whatsoever for the small band of “Apostolic Socialists” who had settled on Loki.
“I don’t understand why the Freyans would run a patrol over Loki, sir.” Said Lieutenant Otomo. “Don’t they hate each other?”
“They do.” Said Ian. “That’s why the Freyani are running the anti-piracy patrol.”
“It means, sir,” said Gunnery Sergeant Burnette, “that we are going to have a very interesting deployment.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
###
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
A Patrol Ship
I took a pencil sketch and fiddled with it in Photoshop.
This is the Freya Colonial Space Guard ship Reliable. The "S057" is her number in the Federation civil ships registry.
Here are the stats:
Ship: Reliable
Class: Type S-1A
Type: Scout/Courier
Architect: Lockheed Martin
Tech Level: 9
USP
S-11122R1-020000-10000-0 MCr 50.238 100 Tons
Bat Bear 1 1 Crew: 2
Bat 1 1 TL: 9
Cargo: 12 Fuel: 24 EP: 2 Agility: 1 Pulse Lasers
Craft: 1 x 4 Ton Air/Raft
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 0.496 Cost in Quantity: MCr 40.310
Detailed Description
HULL: 100 tons standard, Needle/Wedge Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Gunner,
ENGINEERING: Jump-1, 2G Manuever, Power plant-2, 2 EP, Agility 1
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/1bis Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Triple Mixed Turret with: 1 Pulse Laser (Factor-1).
DEFENCES: 1 Dual Sandcaster Turret organised into 1 Battery (Factor-2)
CRAFT: 1 x 4 ton Air/Raft (Cost of MCr 0.600)
FUEL: 24 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 56 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 4 Staterooms, 12 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 50.134 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.496), MCr 39.710 in Quantity, plus MCr 0.600 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 38 Weeks Singly, 30 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: Reliable is one of four surplus Scout/Couriers in service with the Freya Colonial Space Guard. The others are Resolution, Resister, and Red-Shift.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Way Of Being, Prologue
The Way of Being
By Leslie Bates
Prologue
[Author’s note: While I’ve borrowed characters from the Urquhart Trilogy certain events happened differently or did not happen at all. Obviously the conflict that drove TO PLAY THE KING didn’t happen and whatever financial mischief that occurred in THE FINAL CUT was rendered irrelevant by the so-called Final War. And of course LEGACY never happened. No, I can’t say what happened to the tape. –LB.]
It was cold in the ruins of Moscow.
Yes, Russian winters were a bitch. But Allen Keller had experienced colder days in his native state of Minnesota. He was dressed comfortably for the morning’s event. Of course not everyone was as sensibly prepared for the weather and there was no shortage of whining, moaning, and groaning about it.
Standing with a military honor guard at a gap in the rubble that was once the wall of the Kremlin, Allen Keller waited for the last official delegation to arrive. There was a time when he would have expected the Italians to be late to today’s event but the only word they seemed to use these days was “Avanti!” Of course after the Vatican and most of Rome had gone up in a cloud of radioactive smoke this should not have been a surprise.
It had been years since a main force unit of the alliance, now known as the Omaha Pact, clashed with any organized opposition. But there were still insurgents and bandits to deal with in the territories controlled by the Omaha Pact.
A lifetime ago, when he was a mere rifleman on a grass cutting detail in the United States Army, Keller had once joked that his role in the big NATO war plan was to cut the grass around Red Square for the great NATO victory parade. Of course back then the Soviet Union was something to be feared. And if it was possible to win in a global nuclear was it would be the Soviet Union that emerged as the victor.
In a way that old joke was somewhat prescient. Not that there was grass to be cut, certainly not in the middle of a Russian winter, but that Allen Keller was in charge of the event that would bring to an official end to the final global war on the planet Earth.
And it wasn’t really a ceremony, only a simple act of justice followed by a simple act of disposal.
The chill air efficiently carried the sound of the last motorcade to enter the vast plowed expanse of Red Square. The sergeant in charge the honor guard called his troops to attention as the line of Humvees approached the former gate of the Kremlin.
The sergeant called out the command to present arms as the motorcade came to a stop. The rear seat doors of two of the Humvees were opened and a man and woman emerged from each of the vehicles. Keller greeted them as they approached. He nodded his head in a barely perceivable manner to the former occupants of the first Humvee.
“Your Majesty, Madame Prime Minister.” Said Keller.
King William the Fifth had inherited the position of Monarch of the United Kingdom when his grandmother, the Queen, his father, The Prince of Wales, and both houses of Parliament were effectively vaporized on the first day of the Final War. His prime minister, Sarah Harding, had been the protegee of Conservative Prime Minister Francis Urquhart and had been in Oxford attempting to reconcile with her estranged husband on the day the war started. A task made more difficult by her visible state of pregnancy at that time. However this didn’t stop her from inheriting Urquhart’s political machine and thus effective control of the United Kingdom, and bringing it into the Omaha Pact.
Keller then turned to greet the occupants of the other Humvee.
“Lady Urquhart, Commander Corder.”
The wife of Prime Minister Urquhart and his chief hatchet man were at the Urquhart estate in Southampton on the day the war started. Keller had his own suspicions as to what they were doing but he sensibly kept those to himself.
“If you will follow me, please.” Said Keller.
He led the official British delegation and the honor guard through the charred and shattered ruins of the Kremlin to a large heated tent next to a cleared area. He let the official delegation in before he entered the tent himself.
Upon entering the tent Allen Keller walked over to his boss, the President of the United States and Chairman of the Council of the Omaha Pact, John Andrew March.
“Everything is ready, sir.” He said.
“Let’s do it.” The President and Chairman replied.
Outside of the tent a set of bleachers had been set up. In front of the bleachers was a pile of wood that had been salvaged from the ruins of Moscow, some soldiers, and a Ford van that had been painted in army green.
When the official delegations of all the members of the Omaha Pact had taken their place in the bleachers behind President March, Allen Keller stepped forward, turned to the soldiers by the van and spoke clearly.
“Proceed.”
The side door of the van was opened and the soldiers reached in. Out of the van they dragged a white haired man in the tattered remains of a tailored suit. He had been bound and gagged. There would be no final words for him. The old man was dragged over and dropped on his knees before Allen Keller.
Keller spoke.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.”
Putin glared up at Keller.
“You have been identified as an Enemy of Mankind. You are to be dealt with as such.”
A soldier in a black mask stepped up behind Putin, drew a Soviet era Markarov pistol from a holster, aimed at the back of the head, and fired one round in the old Soviet style.
Putin fell forward. Dead.
Other soldiers now stepped forward. They lifted up the corpse of Putin and laid it out face down on the pile of wood. Upon the body they placed the blood-red banner of the Soviet Union and then piled more wood on top. At the bottom of the funeral pyre volumes of Marxist literature and ancient copies of Pravda pulled from libraries and museums were laid down as kindling. One of the soldiers brought out a lighter and set an ancient sheet of newsprint aflame. Shortly thereafter the entire pyre was on fire.
The official delegations returned to their Humvees and drove to the airport. There was one more stop to make, one more act to witness, before everyone could return home.
With the end of one age comes the beginning of the next era.
At Cape Canaveral a massive rocket lifted off from the newly constructed Launch Pad 39-D. Aboard it was the Earth Return Vehicle for the first manned mission to the planet Mars. On it’s side was painted not the flag of any nation, but a flag with a white star within a white wreath on a blue field. The banner of the Omaha Pact. In two years another spacecraft would go out, it’s four-person crew would place human footprints upon the Martian surface for the first time.
There would further missions to Mars and other planets. There would be bases and permanent settlements to ensure that Humanity would not be trapped on one world and condemned to extinction. There would be new technologies such as fusion power, anti-gravity, reactionless thrusters, and ultimately the jump drive, which would take Mankind to the stars.
On that cold day in the ruins of the Kremlin someone within earshot of President and Chairman John March had said that world peace had finally been achieved.
March turned around and said. “Oh? Really?”
###
By Leslie Bates
Prologue
[Author’s note: While I’ve borrowed characters from the Urquhart Trilogy certain events happened differently or did not happen at all. Obviously the conflict that drove TO PLAY THE KING didn’t happen and whatever financial mischief that occurred in THE FINAL CUT was rendered irrelevant by the so-called Final War. And of course LEGACY never happened. No, I can’t say what happened to the tape. –LB.]
It was cold in the ruins of Moscow.
Yes, Russian winters were a bitch. But Allen Keller had experienced colder days in his native state of Minnesota. He was dressed comfortably for the morning’s event. Of course not everyone was as sensibly prepared for the weather and there was no shortage of whining, moaning, and groaning about it.
Standing with a military honor guard at a gap in the rubble that was once the wall of the Kremlin, Allen Keller waited for the last official delegation to arrive. There was a time when he would have expected the Italians to be late to today’s event but the only word they seemed to use these days was “Avanti!” Of course after the Vatican and most of Rome had gone up in a cloud of radioactive smoke this should not have been a surprise.
It had been years since a main force unit of the alliance, now known as the Omaha Pact, clashed with any organized opposition. But there were still insurgents and bandits to deal with in the territories controlled by the Omaha Pact.
A lifetime ago, when he was a mere rifleman on a grass cutting detail in the United States Army, Keller had once joked that his role in the big NATO war plan was to cut the grass around Red Square for the great NATO victory parade. Of course back then the Soviet Union was something to be feared. And if it was possible to win in a global nuclear was it would be the Soviet Union that emerged as the victor.
In a way that old joke was somewhat prescient. Not that there was grass to be cut, certainly not in the middle of a Russian winter, but that Allen Keller was in charge of the event that would bring to an official end to the final global war on the planet Earth.
And it wasn’t really a ceremony, only a simple act of justice followed by a simple act of disposal.
The chill air efficiently carried the sound of the last motorcade to enter the vast plowed expanse of Red Square. The sergeant in charge the honor guard called his troops to attention as the line of Humvees approached the former gate of the Kremlin.
The sergeant called out the command to present arms as the motorcade came to a stop. The rear seat doors of two of the Humvees were opened and a man and woman emerged from each of the vehicles. Keller greeted them as they approached. He nodded his head in a barely perceivable manner to the former occupants of the first Humvee.
“Your Majesty, Madame Prime Minister.” Said Keller.
King William the Fifth had inherited the position of Monarch of the United Kingdom when his grandmother, the Queen, his father, The Prince of Wales, and both houses of Parliament were effectively vaporized on the first day of the Final War. His prime minister, Sarah Harding, had been the protegee of Conservative Prime Minister Francis Urquhart and had been in Oxford attempting to reconcile with her estranged husband on the day the war started. A task made more difficult by her visible state of pregnancy at that time. However this didn’t stop her from inheriting Urquhart’s political machine and thus effective control of the United Kingdom, and bringing it into the Omaha Pact.
Keller then turned to greet the occupants of the other Humvee.
“Lady Urquhart, Commander Corder.”
The wife of Prime Minister Urquhart and his chief hatchet man were at the Urquhart estate in Southampton on the day the war started. Keller had his own suspicions as to what they were doing but he sensibly kept those to himself.
“If you will follow me, please.” Said Keller.
He led the official British delegation and the honor guard through the charred and shattered ruins of the Kremlin to a large heated tent next to a cleared area. He let the official delegation in before he entered the tent himself.
Upon entering the tent Allen Keller walked over to his boss, the President of the United States and Chairman of the Council of the Omaha Pact, John Andrew March.
“Everything is ready, sir.” He said.
“Let’s do it.” The President and Chairman replied.
Outside of the tent a set of bleachers had been set up. In front of the bleachers was a pile of wood that had been salvaged from the ruins of Moscow, some soldiers, and a Ford van that had been painted in army green.
When the official delegations of all the members of the Omaha Pact had taken their place in the bleachers behind President March, Allen Keller stepped forward, turned to the soldiers by the van and spoke clearly.
“Proceed.”
The side door of the van was opened and the soldiers reached in. Out of the van they dragged a white haired man in the tattered remains of a tailored suit. He had been bound and gagged. There would be no final words for him. The old man was dragged over and dropped on his knees before Allen Keller.
Keller spoke.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.”
Putin glared up at Keller.
“You have been identified as an Enemy of Mankind. You are to be dealt with as such.”
A soldier in a black mask stepped up behind Putin, drew a Soviet era Markarov pistol from a holster, aimed at the back of the head, and fired one round in the old Soviet style.
Putin fell forward. Dead.
Other soldiers now stepped forward. They lifted up the corpse of Putin and laid it out face down on the pile of wood. Upon the body they placed the blood-red banner of the Soviet Union and then piled more wood on top. At the bottom of the funeral pyre volumes of Marxist literature and ancient copies of Pravda pulled from libraries and museums were laid down as kindling. One of the soldiers brought out a lighter and set an ancient sheet of newsprint aflame. Shortly thereafter the entire pyre was on fire.
The official delegations returned to their Humvees and drove to the airport. There was one more stop to make, one more act to witness, before everyone could return home.
With the end of one age comes the beginning of the next era.
At Cape Canaveral a massive rocket lifted off from the newly constructed Launch Pad 39-D. Aboard it was the Earth Return Vehicle for the first manned mission to the planet Mars. On it’s side was painted not the flag of any nation, but a flag with a white star within a white wreath on a blue field. The banner of the Omaha Pact. In two years another spacecraft would go out, it’s four-person crew would place human footprints upon the Martian surface for the first time.
There would further missions to Mars and other planets. There would be bases and permanent settlements to ensure that Humanity would not be trapped on one world and condemned to extinction. There would be new technologies such as fusion power, anti-gravity, reactionless thrusters, and ultimately the jump drive, which would take Mankind to the stars.
On that cold day in the ruins of the Kremlin someone within earshot of President and Chairman John March had said that world peace had finally been achieved.
March turned around and said. “Oh? Really?”
###
Monday, August 11, 2008
Quote of the Day
I've been putting this off for a while but I thought it would be a good time to do it now:
_
When the nations of the Omaha Pact came upon the smoking ruins of Moscow they decided to make an example that would be remembered through the ages.
The glassy ruins of the Kremlin were left intact. The forces of the Omaha Pact proceeded to demolish every whole structure or fragment of a structure within one hundred miles, not kilometers, miles of the Kremlin. Every brick was separated and smashed into small pieces, and every scrap of wood was burned to ashes. Every tree was cut down and uprooted and with every other form of plant life was also burned to ashes. When this task completed all the ground within one hundred miles of the ruins of the Kremlin was sown with salt.
While tourist groups are now brought across the Death Zone to view the ruins of the Kremlin, which remains as a monument to the evils of the Russian State, any unauthorized person, usually an ethnic Russian, found within the Death Zone is summarily executed and is covered with salt, lest the remains decay and renew the soil where he fell.
-- The History of the Omaha Pact, Joseph Douglas, University of Minnesota Press, 2150.
_
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Definition
"Peace does not mean submission in the Freyani dialect of English. Some people had to learn that the hard way."
-- Ashleigh Dahl, The Path of Empire
_
-- Ashleigh Dahl, The Path of Empire
_
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Earth in 2150
I made up this map of the Earth in 2150.
As you can see the colors denote the political status of various states and territories.
I also redrew some borders.
_
As you can see the colors denote the political status of various states and territories.
I also redrew some borders.
_
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The Flag of Our Forefathers
As part of this private universe project I've designed a flag for the political entity that ruled Earth at the time of the Yellowstone Supervolcano eruption of 2189.
I'm also thinking of starting the campaign in Private Universe Mk II in the year 2150.
Comments?
_
Friday, July 11, 2008
Quote of the Day
We don't want to nuke everyone, only our enemies.
-- Admiral Elizabeth Weymouth, UMC Navy.
_
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Quote of the Day
"The Freyani are really into that 'pour encourager les autres' thing."
-- Some Historian.
_
-- Some Historian.
_
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
And Now...An Update
From Things 1101 Through 1125 That Mr. Welch is not allowed to do in a roleplaying game:
1101. I will not cut the vault guards in on the haul instead of fighting them.
1103. Just because I was paid in advance doesn’t mean I can let the incompetent expedition leader die.
1104. There is a limit to how much innuendo I can fit into one combat round.
1107. I will not attempt to clear out the dungeon using only Bangalore torpedoes.
1108. Picking his pocket means more than just turning him upside down and shaking him vigorously.
1113. I will not shoot vampires in the chest with a large pistol just so they have to explain the embarrassing sucking chest wound.
1114. I will not take a phobia of anything that doesn’t exist in the game world.
1117. Can’t strangle a werewolf with a roll of Kodak film, no matter what we all know it’s made out of.
1118. In the middle of a black ops I will not use up all the claymores just because I don’t want to take them back with me.
1119. I cannot have my mercy surgically removed.
1120. Even if I’m in charge I can’t order the Assault Lance to perform West Side Story dance routines.
1123. In the middle of a black ops I can’t call my girlfriend to remind her to pick up some Chinese on her way home.
1124. I will leave out mating rituals when presenting a cultural exchange with diplomatic ambassadors.
1125. Letting the Red Shirt guard the plane is really frowned upon as it doesn’t leave anybody to sacrifice to the Shoggoths.
_
1101. I will not cut the vault guards in on the haul instead of fighting them.
1103. Just because I was paid in advance doesn’t mean I can let the incompetent expedition leader die.
1104. There is a limit to how much innuendo I can fit into one combat round.
1107. I will not attempt to clear out the dungeon using only Bangalore torpedoes.
1108. Picking his pocket means more than just turning him upside down and shaking him vigorously.
1113. I will not shoot vampires in the chest with a large pistol just so they have to explain the embarrassing sucking chest wound.
1114. I will not take a phobia of anything that doesn’t exist in the game world.
1117. Can’t strangle a werewolf with a roll of Kodak film, no matter what we all know it’s made out of.
1118. In the middle of a black ops I will not use up all the claymores just because I don’t want to take them back with me.
1119. I cannot have my mercy surgically removed.
1120. Even if I’m in charge I can’t order the Assault Lance to perform West Side Story dance routines.
1123. In the middle of a black ops I can’t call my girlfriend to remind her to pick up some Chinese on her way home.
1124. I will leave out mating rituals when presenting a cultural exchange with diplomatic ambassadors.
1125. Letting the Red Shirt guard the plane is really frowned upon as it doesn’t leave anybody to sacrifice to the Shoggoths.
_
Saturday, May 31, 2008
And Now For Something Completely Different
Advice for the youth of The Far Future:
_
"Respect your parents, go to school, and stay out of trouble."
_
Friday, May 16, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Someone Else's Thought For The Day
Someone on an obscure forum had this thought:
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
_
Had a fun thought- if Monthy Python had been in charge at the (British) Admiralty, you might have seen BCs (battlecruisers) with names like Inadmissible, Inapplicable, Incontinent, Incurable, Indefinable, Indifferent and Wombat.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
_
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Legacy
Chapter Five
January 2008
Susan Korrel barely paid attention to the flat screen televison set playing in the office of her patroness the junior Senator from New York.
Until someone said, “who’s that?”
Susan looked up to see the image of an old nemesis shaking hands with the acting British Prime Minister. The television set was showing the Fox News Channel’s coverage of President Bush’s arrival in the United Kingdom.
“That’s Tom Makepeace,” said Susan, “he was Urquhart’s foreign secretary.”
“No,” the other staffer said with a tone of annoyance, “who the guy shaking hands with him.”
“Doctor John Andrew March.” Said Susan with a discernable tone of anger. “Formerly of the Collage of Saint Anthony, presently the Republican Governor of Minnesota. He’s Urquhart’s nephew.”
It was at this point that Hillary Rodham, the junior Senator from New York, interjected herself into the conversation.
“You’re angry at him.” She said. “Why?”
Susan decided to answer the question with a more level tone of voice.
“He’s the only teacher I had in my entire life who ever gave me the grade of F.”
“What for?” Said Hillary.
“For speaking the truth.” Susan replied. “For standing up for the helpless and underprivileged. But as far as he was concerned I was only a robot who was parroting ‘Marxist trash’ and that I should pull my head out of my ass!”
Hillary was shocked.
“He actually said that?” She asked.
“Yes.” Said Susan. “He also told me that the only way that I could undo the fail grade was to write a paper comparing the platform of our party with that of the Nazi Party.”
Eyebrows went up and jaws dropped throughout the room.
“That,” said Susan, “tells us what he really thinks of our party and progressives in general.”
Another staff member spoke up.
“How could he have been elected Governor... of Minnesota?”
“The God-squad and the other fascist filth love him.” Said Susan. “And I’m certain that he’s started his own American branch of the Urquhart Machine.”
Hillary leaned back in her chair. She was firmly convinced that the late Francis Urquhart was the initiator of the chair of events that forced her husband into a New York state mental hospital and caused her to drop her married name in order to continue her quest for the American Presidency. Nothing short of her own death would stop her from obtaining her ultimate goal. She had hoped that she would use her power as President to bring down Urquhart and his regime. Taking down Urquhart’s American nephew would be almost as satisfying.
“So.” Said Hillary. “What else do we know about him?”
Another staff member, Emily Redmond, spoke up.
“He’s hosting the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul.” She said. “And there’s rumors that some of their candidates are thinking of asking him to take the VP slot on the ticket. We’re certain that he will meet with Senator McCain after he returns from London.”
Hillary smiled.
Crushing them in the upcoming general election would just be the start. There was so much more that could be done once the Justice Department was back under her control.
It was once said that revenge was a dish that best served cold. This was sensible advice but Hillary, being a proper Democrat, would insist on ignoring it to her peril.
_
January 2008
Susan Korrel barely paid attention to the flat screen televison set playing in the office of her patroness the junior Senator from New York.
Until someone said, “who’s that?”
Susan looked up to see the image of an old nemesis shaking hands with the acting British Prime Minister. The television set was showing the Fox News Channel’s coverage of President Bush’s arrival in the United Kingdom.
“That’s Tom Makepeace,” said Susan, “he was Urquhart’s foreign secretary.”
“No,” the other staffer said with a tone of annoyance, “who the guy shaking hands with him.”
“Doctor John Andrew March.” Said Susan with a discernable tone of anger. “Formerly of the Collage of Saint Anthony, presently the Republican Governor of Minnesota. He’s Urquhart’s nephew.”
It was at this point that Hillary Rodham, the junior Senator from New York, interjected herself into the conversation.
“You’re angry at him.” She said. “Why?”
Susan decided to answer the question with a more level tone of voice.
“He’s the only teacher I had in my entire life who ever gave me the grade of F.”
“What for?” Said Hillary.
“For speaking the truth.” Susan replied. “For standing up for the helpless and underprivileged. But as far as he was concerned I was only a robot who was parroting ‘Marxist trash’ and that I should pull my head out of my ass!”
Hillary was shocked.
“He actually said that?” She asked.
“Yes.” Said Susan. “He also told me that the only way that I could undo the fail grade was to write a paper comparing the platform of our party with that of the Nazi Party.”
Eyebrows went up and jaws dropped throughout the room.
“That,” said Susan, “tells us what he really thinks of our party and progressives in general.”
Another staff member spoke up.
“How could he have been elected Governor... of Minnesota?”
“The God-squad and the other fascist filth love him.” Said Susan. “And I’m certain that he’s started his own American branch of the Urquhart Machine.”
Hillary leaned back in her chair. She was firmly convinced that the late Francis Urquhart was the initiator of the chair of events that forced her husband into a New York state mental hospital and caused her to drop her married name in order to continue her quest for the American Presidency. Nothing short of her own death would stop her from obtaining her ultimate goal. She had hoped that she would use her power as President to bring down Urquhart and his regime. Taking down Urquhart’s American nephew would be almost as satisfying.
“So.” Said Hillary. “What else do we know about him?”
Another staff member, Emily Redmond, spoke up.
“He’s hosting the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul.” She said. “And there’s rumors that some of their candidates are thinking of asking him to take the VP slot on the ticket. We’re certain that he will meet with Senator McCain after he returns from London.”
Hillary smiled.
Crushing them in the upcoming general election would just be the start. There was so much more that could be done once the Justice Department was back under her control.
It was once said that revenge was a dish that best served cold. This was sensible advice but Hillary, being a proper Democrat, would insist on ignoring it to her peril.
_
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Quote of the Day
"Zhodani, you person with severe oedipal issues, do you speak it?"
-- Unknown Zhodani agent. 023-1107.
__
-- Unknown Zhodani agent. 023-1107.
__
Friday, April 04, 2008
Legacy
Chapter Four
June 1994
Corder was listening through a set of headphones to the private discussion that Francis and Elizabeth had in the late hours after the funeral of Tim Stamper. After all, the Urquhart’s private residence in London as well as the Prime Minister’s official residence at 10 Downing Street were fully wired for internal surveillance.
Elizabeth was gravely concerned that her nephew would reveal the contents of the Storin Tape.
“He’s one of us, Elizabeth.” Said Francis. “There’s no question that he would betray us. He practically confessed to the murder of his own father right there in the office.”
Francis then recounted the conversation verbatim.
“But can you really be certain?” She replied. “Can we really be safe?”
“He forced the issue out of concern for his own safety.” Said Francis. “Of course it wouldn’t hurt for us to be absolutely certain.”
Elizabeth nodded.
“There are after all,” said Francis, “no shortage of minor pests on that side of the Atlantic that could be disposed of. But we’ll have Corder look into that.”
Corder grunted when he heard that through his headphones. He would of course wait to formally summoned to receive his orders before he would begin to work on the problem.
Elizabeth continued the conversation.
“Is he really serious about becoming President?”
“Well, yes.” Said Francis. “He has the right family background and there’s no question that he has the will to do it.”
Francis decided at the moment to tell his side of the story.
“Twelve years ago. Right before his father died John and I had a rather interesting talk on the telephone. It appeared that our dear brother in law Richard had decided to embark on a political career of his own and had forbidden John to enlist in the
American Army, even going as far to promise to pull strings to prevent it from happening as it would make him look bad to the leaders and the other ranks in the DFL party.”
“DFL, Francis?” Said Elizabeth.
“Democratic Farmer Labor Party of Minnesota.” Said Francis. “John says its every bit as bad as it sounds.”
Francis continued the story.
“I offered to use my influence as a junior whip to enroll John in my old regiment and he politely declined. He said that the last American President who served under the Crown was George Washington and that he didn’t believe that enlisting in the Scots
Guards was a really viable option for him.“
“Of course not.” Said Elizabeth.
Francis had to continue.
“I was aware of Richard’s bad habits but I couldn’t directly suggest that John put poison in his father’s cocaine over the telephone. So I asked John if he could find a tin of a particular kind of rat poison. He said that he would look into it. Three
days later Richard March was found dead in his office and a week later a slightly used tin of rat poison arrived at our Southampton manor by a parcel service.”
“What did you do with the rat poison?” Said Elizabeth.
“I used it on Roger O’Neill. Elizabeth.”
For Corder, the first task after receiving his orders from the Prime Minister was to perform a background check on John Andrew March. He was appalled to discover that the British security services had virtually nothing on the Prime Minister’s nephew apart from a note that John was keeping company at Oxford with Marlene Landless, an undergraduate student and the heiress of the Landless Media empire. Corder wrote a note to himself to also do a background check on Miss Landless.
There was a quick and dirty way of obtaining information on John March. Corder placed a call to the American Embassy in London. Two hours later Corder bought a pint for the FBI’s Diplomatic Liaison to the United Kingdom in a public house in Whitechapel.
The black haired Liaison Agent came straight to the point.
“So Corder,” he said, “what do you want?”
Corder thought that question was a bit abrupt but decided to play it nice.
“The P.M. wants to do a favor for his nephew, John Andrew March, he wants to arrange for someone to set up an endowed chair for John at an American university. We just need to know if there are any problems that we need to be aware of.”
“You need to see his FBI file?” Said the Liaison Agent.
“Yes.” Said Corder.
“Well, apart from being illegal,” said the Liaison Agent, “it might be a bit difficult.”
“Really?” Said Corder.
“F. U. is close to the top of the Hilary’s personal shit list.”
“I thought Bill was supposed to be in charge?” Said Corder.
“He’s the public face of the administration. He gets to make the speeches and sign the bills.” Said the Liaison Agent. ”Hillary is in charge of everything else. Nothing happens in the White House without her permission. Except of course, the trouser failures.”
“That’s hard to believe.” Said Corder.
“Believe it.” Said the Liaison Agent. “If Hillary could find a way to take down F. U., like through that nephew of his, she’ll do it in a heartbeat.”
“I’ll certainly pass on your warning.” Corder said.
“Pass this on too,” said the Liaison Agent as he leaned closer to Corder, “Hillary has made no secret of her desire to take the top job in her own right. If F. U. ever decides that she needs to be taken out, don’t piss around with the indirect approach, do it directly, a wood stake straight through the heart.”
“Right.” Corder replied.
_
Chapter Four
June 1994
Corder was listening through a set of headphones to the private discussion that Francis and Elizabeth had in the late hours after the funeral of Tim Stamper. After all, the Urquhart’s private residence in London as well as the Prime Minister’s official residence at 10 Downing Street were fully wired for internal surveillance.
Elizabeth was gravely concerned that her nephew would reveal the contents of the Storin Tape.
“He’s one of us, Elizabeth.” Said Francis. “There’s no question that he would betray us. He practically confessed to the murder of his own father right there in the office.”
Francis then recounted the conversation verbatim.
“But can you really be certain?” She replied. “Can we really be safe?”
“He forced the issue out of concern for his own safety.” Said Francis. “Of course it wouldn’t hurt for us to be absolutely certain.”
Elizabeth nodded.
“There are after all,” said Francis, “no shortage of minor pests on that side of the Atlantic that could be disposed of. But we’ll have Corder look into that.”
Corder grunted when he heard that through his headphones. He would of course wait to formally summoned to receive his orders before he would begin to work on the problem.
Elizabeth continued the conversation.
“Is he really serious about becoming President?”
“Well, yes.” Said Francis. “He has the right family background and there’s no question that he has the will to do it.”
Francis decided at the moment to tell his side of the story.
“Twelve years ago. Right before his father died John and I had a rather interesting talk on the telephone. It appeared that our dear brother in law Richard had decided to embark on a political career of his own and had forbidden John to enlist in the
American Army, even going as far to promise to pull strings to prevent it from happening as it would make him look bad to the leaders and the other ranks in the DFL party.”
“DFL, Francis?” Said Elizabeth.
“Democratic Farmer Labor Party of Minnesota.” Said Francis. “John says its every bit as bad as it sounds.”
Francis continued the story.
“I offered to use my influence as a junior whip to enroll John in my old regiment and he politely declined. He said that the last American President who served under the Crown was George Washington and that he didn’t believe that enlisting in the Scots
Guards was a really viable option for him.“
“Of course not.” Said Elizabeth.
Francis had to continue.
“I was aware of Richard’s bad habits but I couldn’t directly suggest that John put poison in his father’s cocaine over the telephone. So I asked John if he could find a tin of a particular kind of rat poison. He said that he would look into it. Three
days later Richard March was found dead in his office and a week later a slightly used tin of rat poison arrived at our Southampton manor by a parcel service.”
“What did you do with the rat poison?” Said Elizabeth.
“I used it on Roger O’Neill. Elizabeth.”
For Corder, the first task after receiving his orders from the Prime Minister was to perform a background check on John Andrew March. He was appalled to discover that the British security services had virtually nothing on the Prime Minister’s nephew apart from a note that John was keeping company at Oxford with Marlene Landless, an undergraduate student and the heiress of the Landless Media empire. Corder wrote a note to himself to also do a background check on Miss Landless.
There was a quick and dirty way of obtaining information on John March. Corder placed a call to the American Embassy in London. Two hours later Corder bought a pint for the FBI’s Diplomatic Liaison to the United Kingdom in a public house in Whitechapel.
The black haired Liaison Agent came straight to the point.
“So Corder,” he said, “what do you want?”
Corder thought that question was a bit abrupt but decided to play it nice.
“The P.M. wants to do a favor for his nephew, John Andrew March, he wants to arrange for someone to set up an endowed chair for John at an American university. We just need to know if there are any problems that we need to be aware of.”
“You need to see his FBI file?” Said the Liaison Agent.
“Yes.” Said Corder.
“Well, apart from being illegal,” said the Liaison Agent, “it might be a bit difficult.”
“Really?” Said Corder.
“F. U. is close to the top of the Hilary’s personal shit list.”
“I thought Bill was supposed to be in charge?” Said Corder.
“He’s the public face of the administration. He gets to make the speeches and sign the bills.” Said the Liaison Agent. ”Hillary is in charge of everything else. Nothing happens in the White House without her permission. Except of course, the trouser failures.”
“That’s hard to believe.” Said Corder.
“Believe it.” Said the Liaison Agent. “If Hillary could find a way to take down F. U., like through that nephew of his, she’ll do it in a heartbeat.”
“I’ll certainly pass on your warning.” Corder said.
“Pass this on too,” said the Liaison Agent as he leaned closer to Corder, “Hillary has made no secret of her desire to take the top job in her own right. If F. U. ever decides that she needs to be taken out, don’t piss around with the indirect approach, do it directly, a wood stake straight through the heart.”
“Right.” Corder replied.
_
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Legacy
Chapter Three
January 2008
John's private moment of introspection was interrupted by his own Chief of Staff.
Allen Keller was a bespeckled, overweight and balding former solder who had recently refused to celebrate his own forty-seventh birthday. Even though he wore a suit and tie as his daily uniform he often gave the impression that he would be more comfortable in old camouflage trousers and a tee shirt.
As the Governor's Chief of Staff Al Keller kept a small office in the basement of the Minnesota State Capitol building. Over the course of the last year it had become known as the Dungeon. And woe betide the staff member who was summoned to it. When one of the local socialist newspapers started to call him the Dungeonmaster he simply shrugged and admitted that he still owned a complete set of rule books for the First Edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
Al had two small bottles of chocolate milk with him. He handed one down to John and sat down in the adjoining seat.
"Here," Al said, "this should help you sleep."
Al opened his bottle and started chugging it down.
"You know," said John, "there are flight attendants on Air Force One."
"Some of the best in the world." Al replied. "But none of them are up to their eyebrows in your plot to dominate the world."
"I only want to be President." Said John.
Al Keller chose this moment to preach to his pope.
"The United States of America is the dominant nation on this planet. For example, nothing moves on the surface on our oceans without the permission of the United States Navy. And you know, I would like it to stay that way."
"I'm sure Senator McCain would love to hear that when I meet with him." Said John.
"Go ahead," said Al "use it."
"Thank you." John said.
Al finished his bottle of chocolate milk.
"Do you think Corder will be there?" Al had to ask.
"Of course." said John. "He and Aunt Elizabeth are practically inseparable now."
Al softly grunted. He always had the quiet suspicion that Corder wouldn't mind putting one round into Al's head in the old Soviet style.
There was a commotion at the front of the cabin, Al leaned over into the aisle to look.
"It's Dubya" Said Al, referring to President Bush. "Why the Hell does he have to come back here now?"
"He's just being a good Christian gentleman." Said John as he stood up to chat with the President.
"That," Al replied, "is a big part of our problem."
In Al Keller's view the people who led the Republican Party were simply too nice.
_
January 2008
John's private moment of introspection was interrupted by his own Chief of Staff.
Allen Keller was a bespeckled, overweight and balding former solder who had recently refused to celebrate his own forty-seventh birthday. Even though he wore a suit and tie as his daily uniform he often gave the impression that he would be more comfortable in old camouflage trousers and a tee shirt.
As the Governor's Chief of Staff Al Keller kept a small office in the basement of the Minnesota State Capitol building. Over the course of the last year it had become known as the Dungeon. And woe betide the staff member who was summoned to it. When one of the local socialist newspapers started to call him the Dungeonmaster he simply shrugged and admitted that he still owned a complete set of rule books for the First Edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
Al had two small bottles of chocolate milk with him. He handed one down to John and sat down in the adjoining seat.
"Here," Al said, "this should help you sleep."
Al opened his bottle and started chugging it down.
"You know," said John, "there are flight attendants on Air Force One."
"Some of the best in the world." Al replied. "But none of them are up to their eyebrows in your plot to dominate the world."
"I only want to be President." Said John.
Al Keller chose this moment to preach to his pope.
"The United States of America is the dominant nation on this planet. For example, nothing moves on the surface on our oceans without the permission of the United States Navy. And you know, I would like it to stay that way."
"I'm sure Senator McCain would love to hear that when I meet with him." Said John.
"Go ahead," said Al "use it."
"Thank you." John said.
Al finished his bottle of chocolate milk.
"Do you think Corder will be there?" Al had to ask.
"Of course." said John. "He and Aunt Elizabeth are practically inseparable now."
Al softly grunted. He always had the quiet suspicion that Corder wouldn't mind putting one round into Al's head in the old Soviet style.
There was a commotion at the front of the cabin, Al leaned over into the aisle to look.
"It's Dubya" Said Al, referring to President Bush. "Why the Hell does he have to come back here now?"
"He's just being a good Christian gentleman." Said John as he stood up to chat with the President.
"That," Al replied, "is a big part of our problem."
In Al Keller's view the people who led the Republican Party were simply too nice.
_
Monday, March 31, 2008
Legacy, Chapter Two
June 1994
John March ignored the twitch of pain in his left arm as he down shifted on the approach to Downing Street. He really did not want to drive his own car, a Triumph TR-6, from Oxford to Westminster, not after the deaths by bombing of Tim Stamper and Sarah Harding, but certain appearances had to be maintained. Though his uncle would often offer to send a car to pick him up John preferred to drive himself around. Even if it was on the wrong side of the road.
Security around the Prime Minister's official residence had been beefed up. There was a new guy at the police checkpoint. He had never seen a Minnesota driver's license before, nor was he aware of the fact that the Prime Minister had an American nephew. A police sergeant had to come over to clear things up. As he drove away from the checkpoint John caught a glimpse in him rear view mirror of the sergeant chewing the new guy a new one.
John drove past a visibly disappointed valet to the parking area normally used by cabinet ministers and bureaucrats. He parked in the late party chairman's space. It was a bit disrespectful, but who was going to complain?
John was dressed to attend Stamper's funeral. He put on his serious academic face as he entered 10 Downing Street. Corder was waiting just inside the door.
"Commander Corder." Said John.
"Doctor March." Corder replied.
"We're... not quite there yet." Said John. "May I ask of favor of you?"
"Yes?"
"Could you see to it that no one plants a bomb in my car while I'm parked here?"
For a very brief moment Corder had the deer in the headlights look on his face, but he quickly recovered.
_Gotcha!_ John thought without changing the expression on his face.
"Yes... of course." Said Corder. "The P.M. is expecting you."
John charged up the stairs and entered the Prime Minister's office. His uncle, Francis Urquhart, also dressed to attend the funeral, had been dictating a letter to a stenographer when he entered the room.
"John!" said the Prime Minister. "It is good to see you again. Even under the circumstances."
"Yes." John replied. "It is a sad thing to lose two close friends to those barbarians."
"Of course." Said Francis. "And congratulations on being awarded your doctorate!"
"Thank you Uncle Francis." Said John."I do hope you and Aunt Elizabeth could attend the ceremony."
"We'll see." He replied. "Was there anything else?"
"Yes, Uncle Francis," Said John. "There is a matter that I need to speak to you about, in private."
The Prime Minister nodded to the stenographer and sat down. The stenographer closed the door as she left the room.
"Well?" Said Francis. "What is it?"
John reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a tape cassette. He laid it on the Prime Minister's desk and said. "This."
On the label of the cassette was written the name, "MATTIE STORIN".
Francis Urquhart looked up at his nephew in shock.
"Tim Stamper gave it to me before he died." Said John. "He acted as if I were some sort of naive and idealistic child. As if I didn't already have blood on my own hands."
"Did you play the tape?"
"Of course I played the tape!" John replied. "That's why I brought it down here, I can't just toss it out into the trash!"
Francis looked back down at the cassette.
"No." He said. "Of course not."
John March continued to speak.
"Bringing down this government is simply not an option and if it were to get out that you put rat poison in someone's cocaine that might cause the Minneapolis Police to reopen the investigation into my father's death."
Francis looked back up at his nephew. "I thought that matter was settled?"
John chose this moment to sit down before replying.
"Certain evidence was suppressed twelve years ago because it would have been embarrassing to the local branch of the Democratic Party for it to get out that one of their biggest donors and an announced candidate for state governor was a cokehead."
Francis silently pondered for a moment.
John continued. "Of course, given what I've heard about the current administration in
Washington, being a cokehead may not be such a liability."
From some of the reports that the Prime Minister had read it would appear that the interior of the White House was a virtual snowstorm.
"There is another issue." Said John. "As you may recall I have certain long range plans. These plans do not include being blown up in my own car or being shot in the head and dumped in a vacant lot by so-called Irish terrorists."
Francis looked up with a shocked stare.
"How do I assure that this won't happen?" Said John. "Do I have to kill someone? Or should I talk to Corder about that?"
"No." Said Francis. "You shouldn't have to speak to Corder."
Francis Urquhart took this moment to lean back in his chair. He placed his elbows firmly on the armrests and clasped his hands together.
"So," he said in a voice the verged on the reptilian, "do you really believe that you can do it? Become the President of the United States?"
Very calmly, John March replied. "Yes."
"It's a long term project," he continued, "but it is doable."
Someone knocked on the door to the Prime Minister's private office. It was Corder.
"The car is ready Prime Minister." He said.
"Thank you Corder." Said the Prime Minister.
Francis Urquhart and John March both stood up.
"I have to do the eulogy for Stamper," said Urquhart.
"Oh, I wouldn't miss that for anything." replied March.
_
John March ignored the twitch of pain in his left arm as he down shifted on the approach to Downing Street. He really did not want to drive his own car, a Triumph TR-6, from Oxford to Westminster, not after the deaths by bombing of Tim Stamper and Sarah Harding, but certain appearances had to be maintained. Though his uncle would often offer to send a car to pick him up John preferred to drive himself around. Even if it was on the wrong side of the road.
Security around the Prime Minister's official residence had been beefed up. There was a new guy at the police checkpoint. He had never seen a Minnesota driver's license before, nor was he aware of the fact that the Prime Minister had an American nephew. A police sergeant had to come over to clear things up. As he drove away from the checkpoint John caught a glimpse in him rear view mirror of the sergeant chewing the new guy a new one.
John drove past a visibly disappointed valet to the parking area normally used by cabinet ministers and bureaucrats. He parked in the late party chairman's space. It was a bit disrespectful, but who was going to complain?
John was dressed to attend Stamper's funeral. He put on his serious academic face as he entered 10 Downing Street. Corder was waiting just inside the door.
"Commander Corder." Said John.
"Doctor March." Corder replied.
"We're... not quite there yet." Said John. "May I ask of favor of you?"
"Yes?"
"Could you see to it that no one plants a bomb in my car while I'm parked here?"
For a very brief moment Corder had the deer in the headlights look on his face, but he quickly recovered.
_Gotcha!_ John thought without changing the expression on his face.
"Yes... of course." Said Corder. "The P.M. is expecting you."
John charged up the stairs and entered the Prime Minister's office. His uncle, Francis Urquhart, also dressed to attend the funeral, had been dictating a letter to a stenographer when he entered the room.
"John!" said the Prime Minister. "It is good to see you again. Even under the circumstances."
"Yes." John replied. "It is a sad thing to lose two close friends to those barbarians."
"Of course." Said Francis. "And congratulations on being awarded your doctorate!"
"Thank you Uncle Francis." Said John."I do hope you and Aunt Elizabeth could attend the ceremony."
"We'll see." He replied. "Was there anything else?"
"Yes, Uncle Francis," Said John. "There is a matter that I need to speak to you about, in private."
The Prime Minister nodded to the stenographer and sat down. The stenographer closed the door as she left the room.
"Well?" Said Francis. "What is it?"
John reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a tape cassette. He laid it on the Prime Minister's desk and said. "This."
On the label of the cassette was written the name, "MATTIE STORIN".
Francis Urquhart looked up at his nephew in shock.
"Tim Stamper gave it to me before he died." Said John. "He acted as if I were some sort of naive and idealistic child. As if I didn't already have blood on my own hands."
"Did you play the tape?"
"Of course I played the tape!" John replied. "That's why I brought it down here, I can't just toss it out into the trash!"
Francis looked back down at the cassette.
"No." He said. "Of course not."
John March continued to speak.
"Bringing down this government is simply not an option and if it were to get out that you put rat poison in someone's cocaine that might cause the Minneapolis Police to reopen the investigation into my father's death."
Francis looked back up at his nephew. "I thought that matter was settled?"
John chose this moment to sit down before replying.
"Certain evidence was suppressed twelve years ago because it would have been embarrassing to the local branch of the Democratic Party for it to get out that one of their biggest donors and an announced candidate for state governor was a cokehead."
Francis silently pondered for a moment.
John continued. "Of course, given what I've heard about the current administration in
Washington, being a cokehead may not be such a liability."
From some of the reports that the Prime Minister had read it would appear that the interior of the White House was a virtual snowstorm.
"There is another issue." Said John. "As you may recall I have certain long range plans. These plans do not include being blown up in my own car or being shot in the head and dumped in a vacant lot by so-called Irish terrorists."
Francis looked up with a shocked stare.
"How do I assure that this won't happen?" Said John. "Do I have to kill someone? Or should I talk to Corder about that?"
"No." Said Francis. "You shouldn't have to speak to Corder."
Francis Urquhart took this moment to lean back in his chair. He placed his elbows firmly on the armrests and clasped his hands together.
"So," he said in a voice the verged on the reptilian, "do you really believe that you can do it? Become the President of the United States?"
Very calmly, John March replied. "Yes."
"It's a long term project," he continued, "but it is doable."
Someone knocked on the door to the Prime Minister's private office. It was Corder.
"The car is ready Prime Minister." He said.
"Thank you Corder." Said the Prime Minister.
Francis Urquhart and John March both stood up.
"I have to do the eulogy for Stamper," said Urquhart.
"Oh, I wouldn't miss that for anything." replied March.
_
Legacy, Chapter One
January 2008
Nothing lasts forever. Even the longest, the most glittering reign must come to an end someday.
Some people mourned the passing of British Prime Minister Sir Francis Urquhart.. Others, of a less civilized frame of mind, saw his death as a cause for celebration.
Air Force One lifted off from runway 12L of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and turned left onto the great circle route towards London. It was the usual practice of American Presidents to fly directly to the capital of a foreign nation whenever he would attend the funeral of that nation's leader. But in this case President George W. Bush, being a good Christian gentleman, had decided to offer a lift to the sister and other American relatives of the late Prime Minister.
Mary Urquhart March was one of the small number of the sons and daughters of the British aristocratic class who continued to marry members of wealthy American families. In her case a Richard Charles March II of Minnesota.
The March family fortune began in the industries of lumber, mining, and local railroads but shifted to other endeavors over the course of time. When Mary Urquhart met and married Richard, who was named for the legendary creator of the family fortune, he was a charming gentleman who showed no hint of the character flaws that would ultimately bring about his early demise. Richard was now interred in the family crypt in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Mary Urquhart March had borne three children for her husband.
The first, Richard Charles March III, had upon entering the University of Minnesota immersed himself in the local drug culture and ultimately discovered Heroin. He was subsequently interred next to his father in the family crypt.
The second, Anne Elizabeth March, had left the University as a Marxist agitator and a lesbian. It was no surprise to anyone that she had joined the ruffians who celebrated her uncle's death.
The last, John Andrew March, had skipped entering the University and instead enlisted in the United States Army as an infantryman. He had night-schooled his way to Bachelor's degree and was selected for Officer Candidate School. It was after being wounded in a fratricide incident during Operation Desert Storm and receiving a medical discharge that he, with his uncle's influence as a newly minted Prime Minister, he went to Oxford to continue his postgraduate studies and earn a doctorate in history. John would use that "piled higher and deeper" degree and his subsequent writings as a ticket to a political career.
John Andrew March was now entering his second year as the Republican Governor of the State of Minnesota. Even without that he was still the dutiful son who would accompany his mother to her older brother's funeral. But John wanted to be elected to a higher office. And a photo opportunity was a photo opportunity, even if it was literally over his uncle's dead body.
John sat at a window seat on Air Force One, contemplating the path he had taken to reach this point, and the path he must follow to reach his ultimate goal.
_
Nothing lasts forever. Even the longest, the most glittering reign must come to an end someday.
Some people mourned the passing of British Prime Minister Sir Francis Urquhart.. Others, of a less civilized frame of mind, saw his death as a cause for celebration.
Air Force One lifted off from runway 12L of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and turned left onto the great circle route towards London. It was the usual practice of American Presidents to fly directly to the capital of a foreign nation whenever he would attend the funeral of that nation's leader. But in this case President George W. Bush, being a good Christian gentleman, had decided to offer a lift to the sister and other American relatives of the late Prime Minister.
Mary Urquhart March was one of the small number of the sons and daughters of the British aristocratic class who continued to marry members of wealthy American families. In her case a Richard Charles March II of Minnesota.
The March family fortune began in the industries of lumber, mining, and local railroads but shifted to other endeavors over the course of time. When Mary Urquhart met and married Richard, who was named for the legendary creator of the family fortune, he was a charming gentleman who showed no hint of the character flaws that would ultimately bring about his early demise. Richard was now interred in the family crypt in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Mary Urquhart March had borne three children for her husband.
The first, Richard Charles March III, had upon entering the University of Minnesota immersed himself in the local drug culture and ultimately discovered Heroin. He was subsequently interred next to his father in the family crypt.
The second, Anne Elizabeth March, had left the University as a Marxist agitator and a lesbian. It was no surprise to anyone that she had joined the ruffians who celebrated her uncle's death.
The last, John Andrew March, had skipped entering the University and instead enlisted in the United States Army as an infantryman. He had night-schooled his way to Bachelor's degree and was selected for Officer Candidate School. It was after being wounded in a fratricide incident during Operation Desert Storm and receiving a medical discharge that he, with his uncle's influence as a newly minted Prime Minister, he went to Oxford to continue his postgraduate studies and earn a doctorate in history. John would use that "piled higher and deeper" degree and his subsequent writings as a ticket to a political career.
John Andrew March was now entering his second year as the Republican Governor of the State of Minnesota. Even without that he was still the dutiful son who would accompany his mother to her older brother's funeral. But John wanted to be elected to a higher office. And a photo opportunity was a photo opportunity, even if it was literally over his uncle's dead body.
John sat at a window seat on Air Force One, contemplating the path he had taken to reach this point, and the path he must follow to reach his ultimate goal.
_
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Quote of the Day
The Imperium will not be coerced. Any attempt to bend the Imperium to any will other than its own, by any means violent or non-violent, will be answered with deadly force.
-- Captain Sir John March Sterling, 1st Baron Windhaven, Imperial Navy, Retired. 110-624 (Third Imperium)
_
Friday, December 21, 2007
A Really Evil Idea, Updated, Reposted
THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE TRAVELLER MAINING LIST:
A Really Evil Idea For A Traveller Campaign
by Leslie Bates, age 42
Over 10,000 years ago, a species called the An or the Anu discovered the jump drive. Over a period of about two centuries they explored and colonized twelve uninhabited worlds in nearby systems. They also discovered and colonized the planet Earth, which they called Ki. The native intelligent species, the Humans, were genetically modified and used as laborers on Ki and on the other Anu colonies.
Then something happened. A disaster, a civil war started by a dissident faction, or an invasion by a hostile species, called the Hunters of the Dawn, destroyed the Anu civilization. On Ki, a remnant of the Anu called the Anunnaki continued to dominate the natives until about 2000 to 3000 BC.
On Suhurmash, one of the Anu colony worlds, the surviving Humans have developed a high-tech civilization. By reverse engineering Anu relics they have begun to build their own jump ships.
The player characters are the crew of the first ship to reach the planet "Ki." While attempting to land at the site of the last known Anu colony on Ki, their TL-9 ship is fired on by two F-15's of the United States Air Force. After landing and meeting the locals, the crew is brought to the local leader. (You know, the guy with the mustache.) Who will be happy to help repair the ship in exchange for help against the attackers.
The date on the local calender is March 15, 2003.
Have a nice day.
More fun:
The PC's ship is a 40 year old type unarmed M subsidized merchant operating under an academic or corporate charter, their government didn't know and certainly wouldn't have sanctioned the expedition to Earth.
Suhurmash, the PC's homeworld, was politically unified before it hit TL 4 and only has about a dozen 100 ton armed couriers for use in SAR/courier missions.
Borrowing a page from the Glen Larson SF universe construction handbook, the 12 other Anu colonies were named for the 12 signs of the zodiac, in Sumerian.
Then today I had these thoughts:
Even more fun:
Your group of PC's could be a special op's unit that breaks into what the spooks believe is a WMD facility. What you actually find is a disk shaped starship (100 to 400 d-tons) with clear signs of missile damage. The surviving guards tell you that the crew was taken away.
You now have to go out and find the crew.
Good Luck.
Since we are borrowing a page from the Glen Larson SF universe construction handbook. We are naming the 12 other Anu colonies for the 12 signs of the zodiac in Sumerian. Here is the list of names as given by Zacharia Sitchin.
Guanna = Taurus
Mashtabba = Gemini
Dub = Cancer
Urgula = Leo
Absin = Virgo
Zibaanna = Libra
Girtab = Scorpio
Pabil = Sagittarius
Suhurmash = Capricorn
Gu = Aquarius
Simmah = Pisces
Kumal = Aries
Shamelessly stealing from Glen Larson again, we note that during the destruction of the Twelve Colonies that the Capricans were the least incompetent of all the humans, therefore we shall say that a high tech human civilization arose on the Anu colony world of Suhurmash. I originally favored Procyon as the location of this world, but I'm beginning to think that Tau Ceti may be better.
The dominant power on the planet during the TL4 period was the Adaman Empire, which was named for its founder, a humble herdsman who was called upon to lead his people out of...well...you get the idea.
Through a process of warfare and dynastic marriage, the Adamans had effectively unified their world before the development of the TL 5 military technology that made the First World War on Terra such a fun time for all. It also meant that the occasional re- equipping of "The Warriors" tended to be an exercise in keeping up with the civilians. As a result, Caprican...er...Adaman ironmongery is strictly LB Book One, nothing from Mercenary or later works.
As the Adamans ranged far and wide over their world they found smashed cities and fossilized remains of Anu as well as of humans. Adamans who built telescopes would see visible ruins of domed cities on the moon of Suhurmash. Needless to say, as soon as it was possible the Adamans sent several expeditions (with essentially Soviet level technology) to explore those ruins.
In the 100th year of the Unified Empire the first explorers found well preserved (by archaeological standards) examples of Anu technology, which the Adamans proceeded to reverse engineer.
With their first starships they began to explore and colonize the systems around them. Usually they found more ruins, sometimes with primitive Humans or Anu in or near them. They also found the Anu home world. Which had taken so much damage in the final cataclysm that the atmosphere had reverted to Type A-Exotic.
In 167th year of the Unified Empire, the first Adaman ship had reached the world listed on the ancient Anu charts as "Ki." To their horror they found the major nations of Ki fighting a planetary scale war with weapons that the Adamans had never even dreamed of. (Most of the army of the starfaring Adaman Empire at the time was still using lever action black-powder rifles and muzzle loading cannon.) The Adaman government immediately interdicted Ki and began a surveillance program.
Two bases were established in the system. The primary base was on the fourth planet. The forward surveillance post was set up on the satellite of Ki, which on the ancient Anu charts was called Kingu. This post with its supporting spacecraft was called the watch unit.
In 169th year of the Unified Empire, the watch unit observed the detonation of a nuclear explosive device in the desert of the minor northern continent. Shortly thereafter two more nuclear weapons were detonated over cities in a chain of islands off the eastern coast of the main northern continent.
As the nation on the minor northern continent began further atmospheric testing of nuclear bombs, the watch unit began to carry out a more aggressive surveillance program.
In 171th year of the Unified Empire, a 20 d-ton launch crashed in the desert outside of a nuclear bomber base on the minor northern continent. The Imperial leadership basically freaked out and forbade the use of such aggressive watch tactics in the future.
It was now feared that the inhabitants of Ki would reverse engineer Adaman technology and turn their attention to the skies of their world.
In 193th year of the Unified Empire, an expedition from the minor northern continent of Ki landed on a relatively flat area of Kingu. The commander of the watch unit at the time, who was named for the founder of the Empire, made contact with the Kian astronauts and basically read them the riot act.
The Kians would be permitted to send five more expeditions to Kingu, those expeditions were forbidden to land anywhere near the forward watch unit base or any Anu ruins on Kingu. Furthermore the Kians were forbidden to send manned expeditions to any other planet of their own system. Having heard the ruling of the watch unit commander, the two Kian astronauts were permitted to return to a water landing on Ki. The junior member of the Kian landing party was later compelled to seek psychiatric help.
Much to the annoyance of the watch unit the two dominant nations on Ki proceeded to launch manned orbital stations and send robot probes to the other planets. One robot from the North-Main continent came too close to a Adaman ship near the inner moon of the fourth planet and had to be destroyed. Another robot probe entered orbit around the largest gas giant in the system and effectively prevented its use as a refueling site.
During this time there was a great amount of acrimony on Suhurmash concerning the re-equipping of the armed forces to a higher tech level. The Warrior class by this time had taken the view that warfare was essentially an exercise in studliness. Even though the conversion of the army to TL 6 self-loading rifles and general purpose machineguns, which were basically copies of Kian weaponry, had gone relatively smoothly in spite of the usual griping about ammunition wastage and girly calibers. The army had virtually blocked the adoption of such "cowardly" weapons as grenades, mortars, and indirect firing artillery.
When the high command attempted to introduce the assault rifle, even those officers who were aware of the military technology situation on Ki refused to go along with the adoption of "kiddie- caliber" guns. Basically believing that the Kian adoption of such infantry weapons was an exploitable mistake.
As for combat uniforms, the prevailing belief in the armed forces was that a warrior could not be too flashy in appearance.
The one bright spot in the military picture was that the Cavalry arm was happy to trade in their riding beasts for the newfangled fighter spacecraft. Which were basically a beefed up version of the standard pilot trainer that was fitted with a pulse laser.
In 226th year of the Unified Empire, a privately owned Adaman ship broke the interdiction and attempted to land near the site of the last known Anu colony on Ki.
I'm finished droning now.
A Really Evil Idea For A Traveller Campaign
by Leslie Bates, age 42
Over 10,000 years ago, a species called the An or the Anu discovered the jump drive. Over a period of about two centuries they explored and colonized twelve uninhabited worlds in nearby systems. They also discovered and colonized the planet Earth, which they called Ki. The native intelligent species, the Humans, were genetically modified and used as laborers on Ki and on the other Anu colonies.
Then something happened. A disaster, a civil war started by a dissident faction, or an invasion by a hostile species, called the Hunters of the Dawn, destroyed the Anu civilization. On Ki, a remnant of the Anu called the Anunnaki continued to dominate the natives until about 2000 to 3000 BC.
On Suhurmash, one of the Anu colony worlds, the surviving Humans have developed a high-tech civilization. By reverse engineering Anu relics they have begun to build their own jump ships.
The player characters are the crew of the first ship to reach the planet "Ki." While attempting to land at the site of the last known Anu colony on Ki, their TL-9 ship is fired on by two F-15's of the United States Air Force. After landing and meeting the locals, the crew is brought to the local leader. (You know, the guy with the mustache.) Who will be happy to help repair the ship in exchange for help against the attackers.
The date on the local calender is March 15, 2003.
Have a nice day.
More fun:
The PC's ship is a 40 year old type unarmed M subsidized merchant operating under an academic or corporate charter, their government didn't know and certainly wouldn't have sanctioned the expedition to Earth.
Suhurmash, the PC's homeworld, was politically unified before it hit TL 4 and only has about a dozen 100 ton armed couriers for use in SAR/courier missions.
Borrowing a page from the Glen Larson SF universe construction handbook, the 12 other Anu colonies were named for the 12 signs of the zodiac, in Sumerian.
Then today I had these thoughts:
Even more fun:
Your group of PC's could be a special op's unit that breaks into what the spooks believe is a WMD facility. What you actually find is a disk shaped starship (100 to 400 d-tons) with clear signs of missile damage. The surviving guards tell you that the crew was taken away.
You now have to go out and find the crew.
Good Luck.
Since we are borrowing a page from the Glen Larson SF universe construction handbook. We are naming the 12 other Anu colonies for the 12 signs of the zodiac in Sumerian. Here is the list of names as given by Zacharia Sitchin.
Guanna = Taurus
Mashtabba = Gemini
Dub = Cancer
Urgula = Leo
Absin = Virgo
Zibaanna = Libra
Girtab = Scorpio
Pabil = Sagittarius
Suhurmash = Capricorn
Gu = Aquarius
Simmah = Pisces
Kumal = Aries
Shamelessly stealing from Glen Larson again, we note that during the destruction of the Twelve Colonies that the Capricans were the least incompetent of all the humans, therefore we shall say that a high tech human civilization arose on the Anu colony world of Suhurmash. I originally favored Procyon as the location of this world, but I'm beginning to think that Tau Ceti may be better.
The dominant power on the planet during the TL4 period was the Adaman Empire, which was named for its founder, a humble herdsman who was called upon to lead his people out of...well...you get the idea.
Through a process of warfare and dynastic marriage, the Adamans had effectively unified their world before the development of the TL 5 military technology that made the First World War on Terra such a fun time for all. It also meant that the occasional re- equipping of "The Warriors" tended to be an exercise in keeping up with the civilians. As a result, Caprican...er...Adaman ironmongery is strictly LB Book One, nothing from Mercenary or later works.
As the Adamans ranged far and wide over their world they found smashed cities and fossilized remains of Anu as well as of humans. Adamans who built telescopes would see visible ruins of domed cities on the moon of Suhurmash. Needless to say, as soon as it was possible the Adamans sent several expeditions (with essentially Soviet level technology) to explore those ruins.
In the 100th year of the Unified Empire the first explorers found well preserved (by archaeological standards) examples of Anu technology, which the Adamans proceeded to reverse engineer.
With their first starships they began to explore and colonize the systems around them. Usually they found more ruins, sometimes with primitive Humans or Anu in or near them. They also found the Anu home world. Which had taken so much damage in the final cataclysm that the atmosphere had reverted to Type A-Exotic.
In 167th year of the Unified Empire, the first Adaman ship had reached the world listed on the ancient Anu charts as "Ki." To their horror they found the major nations of Ki fighting a planetary scale war with weapons that the Adamans had never even dreamed of. (Most of the army of the starfaring Adaman Empire at the time was still using lever action black-powder rifles and muzzle loading cannon.) The Adaman government immediately interdicted Ki and began a surveillance program.
Two bases were established in the system. The primary base was on the fourth planet. The forward surveillance post was set up on the satellite of Ki, which on the ancient Anu charts was called Kingu. This post with its supporting spacecraft was called the watch unit.
In 169th year of the Unified Empire, the watch unit observed the detonation of a nuclear explosive device in the desert of the minor northern continent. Shortly thereafter two more nuclear weapons were detonated over cities in a chain of islands off the eastern coast of the main northern continent.
As the nation on the minor northern continent began further atmospheric testing of nuclear bombs, the watch unit began to carry out a more aggressive surveillance program.
In 171th year of the Unified Empire, a 20 d-ton launch crashed in the desert outside of a nuclear bomber base on the minor northern continent. The Imperial leadership basically freaked out and forbade the use of such aggressive watch tactics in the future.
It was now feared that the inhabitants of Ki would reverse engineer Adaman technology and turn their attention to the skies of their world.
In 193th year of the Unified Empire, an expedition from the minor northern continent of Ki landed on a relatively flat area of Kingu. The commander of the watch unit at the time, who was named for the founder of the Empire, made contact with the Kian astronauts and basically read them the riot act.
The Kians would be permitted to send five more expeditions to Kingu, those expeditions were forbidden to land anywhere near the forward watch unit base or any Anu ruins on Kingu. Furthermore the Kians were forbidden to send manned expeditions to any other planet of their own system. Having heard the ruling of the watch unit commander, the two Kian astronauts were permitted to return to a water landing on Ki. The junior member of the Kian landing party was later compelled to seek psychiatric help.
Much to the annoyance of the watch unit the two dominant nations on Ki proceeded to launch manned orbital stations and send robot probes to the other planets. One robot from the North-Main continent came too close to a Adaman ship near the inner moon of the fourth planet and had to be destroyed. Another robot probe entered orbit around the largest gas giant in the system and effectively prevented its use as a refueling site.
During this time there was a great amount of acrimony on Suhurmash concerning the re-equipping of the armed forces to a higher tech level. The Warrior class by this time had taken the view that warfare was essentially an exercise in studliness. Even though the conversion of the army to TL 6 self-loading rifles and general purpose machineguns, which were basically copies of Kian weaponry, had gone relatively smoothly in spite of the usual griping about ammunition wastage and girly calibers. The army had virtually blocked the adoption of such "cowardly" weapons as grenades, mortars, and indirect firing artillery.
When the high command attempted to introduce the assault rifle, even those officers who were aware of the military technology situation on Ki refused to go along with the adoption of "kiddie- caliber" guns. Basically believing that the Kian adoption of such infantry weapons was an exploitable mistake.
As for combat uniforms, the prevailing belief in the armed forces was that a warrior could not be too flashy in appearance.
The one bright spot in the military picture was that the Cavalry arm was happy to trade in their riding beasts for the newfangled fighter spacecraft. Which were basically a beefed up version of the standard pilot trainer that was fitted with a pulse laser.
In 226th year of the Unified Empire, a privately owned Adaman ship broke the interdiction and attempted to land near the site of the last known Anu colony on Ki.
I'm finished droning now.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Thought for the Day
"I've run into no small number of so-called Christian pacifists during my years as a naval attache. They've invariably hit me with the verse, 'he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.' At which point I ask them, 'who's holding the other sword?' Not one of them has ever answered that question."
-- Admiral Elizabeth Weymouth. Ursa Major Confederation Navy.
_
-- Admiral Elizabeth Weymouth. Ursa Major Confederation Navy.
_
Monday, October 08, 2007
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Marine Motivation
It not an either/or proposition.
And yes, it's a bit hard on the Lefties.
(Cue diabolical laughter.)
_
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Trivia
The words "ULTIMA RATIO CIVITUM" is engraved on every personal weapon, crew served weapon, and on a special plate installed on all military vehicles and spacecraft of the Freyan armed forces and the armed forces of the Confederation of Ursa Major.
Yes, I know (Ayn) Rand said that a gun is not an argument two centuries ago...
My grandfather once told me that were it not for the distance and the vacuum of space (between Eos and Freya) it would have been possible to hear the Eosians sneering at us for that particular practice.
Of course that sneering ended after their world was invaded and occupied by the Neomarxists.
-- Admiral Elizabeth Weymouth, Lectures on History and Moral Philosophy.
Now some people think it is a bit silly of us to engrave a phrase in ancient Latin on our weapons, vehicles, and spacecraft.
But consider this, all of our g-carriers, tanks, and other military vehicles are designed to carried aboard standard commercial starships. The dimensions of the cargo holds are in turn determined by the dimensions of the old Terran ISO-cargo containers which are still in common use. The dimensions of the standard cargo containers were originally determined by the requirement that they be carried on a standard railroad flatcar. The dimensions of the railroad flatcar was in turn determined by width of the wheels and tracks. This standard was adopted in imitation of the standard width of carts and wagons built in the British Isles, which used wagon trails first marked out in the time of the Roman Empire. Which in turn used a standard width chosen by a wagon builder in Ancient Rome.
Now, given the influence that a unnamed Ancient Roman wheelwright had on the design and deployment of military technology in the twenty-third century, is it really that silly of us to adopt an Ancient Latin slogan for our own use?
-- Ibid.
Monday, August 06, 2007
A Message From Rob Devenport
Hello,
Yes, the TML and all of TravellerCentral.com are down. I'm using an
old subscriber list to notify everyone, so if you've unsubscribed in
the last several months, I apologize for sending this to you. And if
I've missed anyone that you know of, please let them know the status.
A couple days ago, a cracker penetrated the TravellerCentral.com
server and deleted all files, possibly in retaliation for Tod stopping
an attack a month ago where someone tried to usurp the server and set
up their own rogue mail server. The recent backups are lost (and Tod
had been within a week of putting a new backup system online too).
He's going to go back to an older backup and rebuild the system (with
tightened security measures).
Since he doesn't believe the attacker overwrote files but just mucked
up the inodes, he's hopeful that much of the user data can be
recovered - it will just take a good deal of time.
The plan is to get the server and basic services (mail server) back up
as soon as practical, I think maybe within a few days, then get user's
data back if possible, which may take a few weeks.
I'll send more details as they become available, or if you have
questions, let me know. With luck you won't hear from me, but from the
list when it's up again.
And as for that cracker miscreant, I just hope they get within range
of my FGMP...
Rob Davenport
TML listmom2
_
Yes, the TML and all of TravellerCentral.com are down. I'm using an
old subscriber list to notify everyone, so if you've unsubscribed in
the last several months, I apologize for sending this to you. And if
I've missed anyone that you know of, please let them know the status.
A couple days ago, a cracker penetrated the TravellerCentral.com
server and deleted all files, possibly in retaliation for Tod stopping
an attack a month ago where someone tried to usurp the server and set
up their own rogue mail server. The recent backups are lost (and Tod
had been within a week of putting a new backup system online too).
He's going to go back to an older backup and rebuild the system (with
tightened security measures).
Since he doesn't believe the attacker overwrote files but just mucked
up the inodes, he's hopeful that much of the user data can be
recovered - it will just take a good deal of time.
The plan is to get the server and basic services (mail server) back up
as soon as practical, I think maybe within a few days, then get user's
data back if possible, which may take a few weeks.
I'll send more details as they become available, or if you have
questions, let me know. With luck you won't hear from me, but from the
list when it's up again.
And as for that cracker miscreant, I just hope they get within range
of my FGMP...
Rob Davenport
TML listmom2
_
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Quote of the Day
More intellectual background stuff.
_
As a rule when all other factors are equal it is the numerically larger military unit that will prevail. Therefore it is the task of those who raise, train, and deploy the armed forces of a nation to see to it that all other factors are never equal.
-- E.N. Keller, The Concept of War
_
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Quote of the Day
In literature and cinema there is a concept, the idiot plot, a scenario that only occurs because one or more characters behaved like idiots.
Of all the worlds of the Human Union one world had the industrial might, and thus the potential to create military power, to stop the Freyani.
March1, the oldest and most populous of the Human colonies, the capital of Humanity in the post-Yellowstone2 era, did nothing.
Nothing was done when the Freyani secretly build a navy and cut loose from Humanity.
Nothing was done when the Freyani and their Objectivist allies hunted down and murdered the Progressive activists and the Gordonian3 warriors who liberated the planets Konkin and Eos from capitalist oppression.4
Nothing was done when the Freyani sent the fleet carrier Victorious across Human Union space -- unimpeded -- to commit the Gordonian Holocaust.5
Nothing was done when the Freyani mercilessly crushed the Republic of Aurore.
When Oliver Richard Kaiser, and the last and greatest leader of Humanity, tried to rouse the people to resist the Freyani, it was too late.
Because the leaders of the planet March and Humanity in General refused to act a new dark age has descended upon us as we now live under the grinding oppression of the Freyan Empire.6
-- Anthony Ellsworth, The Empire of Greed
Sounds like the fellow is a bit biased...
1. Alpha Centauri A-Three. Named for President John March, the successor to President Dick Cheney and founder of the Omaha Pact.
2. Extinction event. The super volcano in Yellowstone National Park erupted on September 4, 2182, burying most of North America in ash, and effectively terminating agriculture on the planet for at least five years. Roughly 99 percent of the Human Race died in the subsequent disorders.
3. A morally darker version of the Dorsai.
4. Needless to say the folks on Eos and Schwartz (the renamed planet Konkin) have a different view of the relevant events.
In the decades following the Yellowstone Event a practice had evolved where if a resource extraction firm could not obtain a sufficiently favorable deal from a local government they would invent a "liberation front" -- usually a handful of crackpots in the back room of a leather bar -- and hire a Gordonian military contractor to put the liberation front into power.
Armand Marteau, the owner of Spinward Mining, wanted control of lanthanum deposits on Eos, a planet settled by descendants of the Peikoff Faction of the Objectivist Movement. Because his agents could not create a front on Eos, they instead created one on the planet Konkin, a Libertarian Anarchist colony named after Libertarian Anarchist author Samuel Edward Konkin III. The new "sovereign" state then staged a "liberation" of Eos.
The first Freya Pact, an alliance of three worlds -- Freya, Galtswelt, and New Texas -- carried out the liberation of Eos. The red stooges were hunted down and given no quarter. On the other hand the Gordonian mercenaries immediately surrendered and attempted to redeem their repatriation bonds.
The Interim Committee that governed Eos refused to the honor the bonds. In their view the mercenaries were not soldiers of a legitimate state but were instead paid members of a homicidal conspiracy. In other words, they were willing capital criminals.
The ground troops from Freya and Galtswelt carried out the order to execute the mercenaries. The contingent from New Texas refused to carry out the execution of mercenaries in their custody. The New Texas forces and their prisoners were then ordered off the planet Eos. Thus breaking the first Freya Pact.
To this day the Eosians see the government of New Texas as accessories after the fact of the mass murder of Eosian citizens.
The remnant of the pact forces went on to liberate the planet Konkin.
5. The Gordonian private military contractors and their corporate sponsors carried out a vendetta against Eos and the remaining members of the first Freya Pact through legal and other means.
It was after the judicially staged murder of two members of the Eos Interim Committee, who were on a diplomatic mission to March, that drastic action was taken.
A chain of fuel caches was secretly created which allowed a task force centered on the newly built light fleet carrier Victorious to make on unimpeded transit to Gordonia and carry out a high yield nuclear bombardment of the planet's industrial and population centers.
This effectively terminated the vendetta.
6. Riiiiigt. The Society of Consent is sooooo oppressive to some people...
_
Monday, July 30, 2007
UMCS VALLEY FORGE
Yes, I've seen the film SILENT RUNNING... No, we don't allow lunatic greenies aboard our ships.
-- Commodore John Weymouth, Commander of Valley Forge Task Force.
Although the Poor Richard class escort carrier could do a fairly good job of supporting their big sisters, the Victorious class light fleet carriers, they still had the tactical disadvantage of being two-gee ships in an otherwise four-gee fleet. The Navy Department decided to replace the Poor Richard with a vessel that could carry the same fighter-group and accelerate at four gees in a thousand displacement-ton hull. Thus was born the Valley Forge class support carrier.
A dispute arose within the Navy Department and the Confederation Senate over the number of Valley Forge support carriers (which some wags referred to as an ultra-light carrier) that were to be built. Four or six? A compromise was eventually reached where the navy would build eight support carriers.
Part of the reason for building eight support carriers was the reorganization of the Main Force or Battle fleets.
The Main Force of the Ursa Major Confederation Navy was originally divided into three battle fleets: The Coreward Fleet based at Eos; The Central Fleet based at Galtswelt; And the Rimward Fleet based at Freya. Each battle fleet was originally centered on a Victorious class light fleet carrier and its group of escorts.
Under the reorganization, the Rimward Fleet at Freya which was closest to the most likely potential belligerent, the Auroran Empire, would have two Victorious class and two Valley Forge class carriers. The Coreward Fleet at Eos, facing the potentially hostile Republic of New Texas, would get one Victorious class and two Valley Forge class carriers. The Central Fleet at Galtswelt would receive the four remaining Valley Forge class carriers. The old Poor Richard class escort carriers would be independently based, one at Freya, two at Galtswelt, and one at Eos, in support of convoy escort or Marine landing forces as required.
Valley Forge-Class Support Carrier
Ship: Valley Forge
Class: Valley Forge
Type: Support Carrier
Architect: UMCN Bureau of Ships
Tech Level: 11
USP
CVS-A7244E2-050000-30000-0 MCr 717.593 1 KTons
Bat Bear 4 2 Crew: 60
Bat 4 2 TL: 11
Cargo: 28, Fuel: 270, EP: 40, Agility: 3
Craft: 1 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Fuel Module, 8 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor, 12 x 6T Dagger Attack Fighter
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 6.856 Cost in Quantity: MCr 580.474
Detailed Description
HULL: 1,000 tons standard, 14,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 8 Engineers, Medic, 6 Gunners, 29 Flight Crew, 14 Other Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 4G Manuever, Power plant-4, 40 EP, Agility 3
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/5fib Computer
ARMAMENT: 2 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-3)
DEFENCES: 8 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 4 Batteries (Factor-5)
CRAFT: 50 ton Modular Cutter (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 30 ton Fuel Module (Cost of MCr 2), 8 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately), 12 x 6 ton Dagger Attack Fighters (Crew of 1, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 270 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 30 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 30 Staterooms, 28 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 692.448 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 6.856), MCr 548.474 in Quantity, plus MCr 32.000 of Carried Support Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 120 Weeks Singly, 96 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The Valley Forge class support carrier (sometimes called an ultra-light carrier) was constructed to replace the Poor Richard class escort carrier in the role of supporting main fleet operations. There is additional accomodation for a task force commander and 13 support staff
A total of eight units were constructed. Valley Forge, Ticonderoga, Cowpens, and Bunker Hill were built at Galtswelt. Waterloo, Blenheim, Salamanca, and Agincourt were built at Freya.
_
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
UMCS BONHOMME POOR RICHARD
Poor Richard-Class Escort Carrier
Ship: Poor Richard
Class: Poor Richard
Type: Escort Carrier
Architect: Galtswelt Shipbulding
Tech Level: 11
CVE-6722222-050000-30000-0 MCr 293.268 600 Tons
Bat Bear 2 2 Crew: 35
Bat 2 2 TL: 11
Cargo: 11, Fuel: 158, EP: 12, Agility: 1
Craft: 50T Modular Cutter, 30T Fuel Module, 6 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor, 12 x 6T Dagger Attack Fighter
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.613 Cost in Quantity: MCr 241.014
Detailed Description
HULL: 600 tons standard, 8,400 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Engineers, Medic, 4 Gunners, 25 Flight Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 2G Manuever, Power plant-2, 12 EP, Agility 1
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 2 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-3)
DEFENCES: 4 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-5)
CRAFT: 50 ton Modular Cutter (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 30 ton Fuel Module (MCr 2.000), 6 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately), 12 x 6 ton Dagger Attack Fighters (Crew of 1, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 158 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 26 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 17.5 Staterooms, 11 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 263.881 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.613), MCr 209.014 in Quantity, plus MCr 32.000 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 99 Weeks Singly, 79 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: Even with the construction of the Victorious class fleet carriers there was still a perceived need in the UMCN for ships to replace the ageing and less than ideal units of the Ranger class in the escort carrier role.
All four units of the Poor Richard class ("Bonhomme" was considered to be a bit too Froggish) were built at Galtswelt and were named for old American or British aircraft carriers.
The four units of the class were:
Poor Richard
Warrior
Enterprise
Hornet
Ship: Poor Richard
Class: Poor Richard
Type: Escort Carrier
Architect: Galtswelt Shipbulding
Tech Level: 11
CVE-6722222-050000-30000-0 MCr 293.268 600 Tons
Bat Bear 2 2 Crew: 35
Bat 2 2 TL: 11
Cargo: 11, Fuel: 158, EP: 12, Agility: 1
Craft: 50T Modular Cutter, 30T Fuel Module, 6 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor, 12 x 6T Dagger Attack Fighter
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.613 Cost in Quantity: MCr 241.014
Detailed Description
HULL: 600 tons standard, 8,400 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Engineers, Medic, 4 Gunners, 25 Flight Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 2G Manuever, Power plant-2, 12 EP, Agility 1
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 2 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-3)
DEFENCES: 4 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-5)
CRAFT: 50 ton Modular Cutter (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 30 ton Fuel Module (MCr 2.000), 6 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately), 12 x 6 ton Dagger Attack Fighters (Crew of 1, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 158 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 26 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 17.5 Staterooms, 11 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 263.881 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.613), MCr 209.014 in Quantity, plus MCr 32.000 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 99 Weeks Singly, 79 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: Even with the construction of the Victorious class fleet carriers there was still a perceived need in the UMCN for ships to replace the ageing and less than ideal units of the Ranger class in the escort carrier role.
All four units of the Poor Richard class ("Bonhomme" was considered to be a bit too Froggish) were built at Galtswelt and were named for old American or British aircraft carriers.
The four units of the class were:
Poor Richard
Warrior
Enterprise
Hornet
UMCS VICTORIOUS
Victorious-Class Light Fleet Carrier
Ship: Victorious
Class: Victorious
Type: Light Fleet Carrier
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 11
USP
CVL-B7244E3-050000-32000-0 MCr 1,655.287 2.4 KTons
Bat Bear 8 62 Crew: 175
Bat 8 62 TL: 11
Cargo: 47, Fuel: 676, EP: 96, Agility: 3 Shipboard Security Detail: 2
Craft: 3 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T General Purpose Module, 15 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor, 30 x 6T Dagger Attack Fighter
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 15.633 Cost in Quantity: MCr 1,342.629
Detailed Description
HULL: 2,400 tons standard, 33,600 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: 12 Officers, 163 Ratings
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 4G Manuever, Power plant-4, 96 EP, Agility 3
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/5fib Computer
ARMAMENT: 6 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 6 Batteries (Factor-3), 2 Single Plasma Gun Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-2)
DEFENCES: 16 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 8 Batteries (Factor-5)
CRAFT: 3 x 50 ton Modular Cutters with Fuel Modules(Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 30 ton General Purpose Module (Cost of MCr 2), 15 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately), 30 x 6 ton Dagger Attack Fighters (Crew of 1, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 676 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 100 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 90 Staterooms, 47 Tons Cargo (Includes 20 additional berths for the Task Force commander and staff.)
COST: MCr 1,578.919 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 15.633), MCr 1,250.629 in Quantity, plus MCr 92 of Carried Support Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 135 Weeks Singly, 108 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The Victorious class light fleet carrier was the first effort by the navy of the newly formed Confederation of Ursa Major (a.k.a the Freya Pact) to build a true multi-role carrier that could keep up with its own escorts.
There were some critics who believed that the embarked fighter group of 45 fighters was too small to be truly effective. This lead to calls to build a larger ship that could carry 75 fighters in three "full" squadrons, or to trade off maneuver drive and power plant capacity in order to carry a larger force.
The problem with building a larger ship was that the existing design for the Victorious class had already come close to the upper allowable size, -- fifty-percent of shipyard capacity -- for construction in the yards on Freya and Galtswelt at that time in the early years of the Confederation. The navy, especially its Freyani cadre, also had extensive experiece with the slow merchant vessels that had been converted to "escort" carriers and had strongly objected to building any new ships that were slower than the escorting frigates and destroyers. This objection was reinforced by the inclusion of twenty additional personnel berths on board in order to allow Victorious class ships to used as the flagships of the carrier task forces.
Of the three units of the class, Victorious and Intrepid were built at Freya, and Glorious was built at Galtswelt.
_
Ship: Victorious
Class: Victorious
Type: Light Fleet Carrier
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 11
USP
CVL-B7244E3-050000-32000-0 MCr 1,655.287 2.4 KTons
Bat Bear 8 62 Crew: 175
Bat 8 62 TL: 11
Cargo: 47, Fuel: 676, EP: 96, Agility: 3 Shipboard Security Detail: 2
Craft: 3 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T General Purpose Module, 15 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor, 30 x 6T Dagger Attack Fighter
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 15.633 Cost in Quantity: MCr 1,342.629
Detailed Description
HULL: 2,400 tons standard, 33,600 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: 12 Officers, 163 Ratings
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 4G Manuever, Power plant-4, 96 EP, Agility 3
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/5fib Computer
ARMAMENT: 6 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 6 Batteries (Factor-3), 2 Single Plasma Gun Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-2)
DEFENCES: 16 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 8 Batteries (Factor-5)
CRAFT: 3 x 50 ton Modular Cutters with Fuel Modules(Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 30 ton General Purpose Module (Cost of MCr 2), 15 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately), 30 x 6 ton Dagger Attack Fighters (Crew of 1, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 676 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 100 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 90 Staterooms, 47 Tons Cargo (Includes 20 additional berths for the Task Force commander and staff.)
COST: MCr 1,578.919 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 15.633), MCr 1,250.629 in Quantity, plus MCr 92 of Carried Support Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 135 Weeks Singly, 108 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The Victorious class light fleet carrier was the first effort by the navy of the newly formed Confederation of Ursa Major (a.k.a the Freya Pact) to build a true multi-role carrier that could keep up with its own escorts.
There were some critics who believed that the embarked fighter group of 45 fighters was too small to be truly effective. This lead to calls to build a larger ship that could carry 75 fighters in three "full" squadrons, or to trade off maneuver drive and power plant capacity in order to carry a larger force.
The problem with building a larger ship was that the existing design for the Victorious class had already come close to the upper allowable size, -- fifty-percent of shipyard capacity -- for construction in the yards on Freya and Galtswelt at that time in the early years of the Confederation. The navy, especially its Freyani cadre, also had extensive experiece with the slow merchant vessels that had been converted to "escort" carriers and had strongly objected to building any new ships that were slower than the escorting frigates and destroyers. This objection was reinforced by the inclusion of twenty additional personnel berths on board in order to allow Victorious class ships to used as the flagships of the carrier task forces.
Of the three units of the class, Victorious and Intrepid were built at Freya, and Glorious was built at Galtswelt.
_
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Before And After
Starjammer Procyon-Class Bulk Cargo Carrier
Ship: Starjammer Procyon
Class: Starjammer Procyon
Type: Bulk Cargo Carrier
Architect: Eurospace
Tech Level: 11
USP
MH-A711121-000000-00000-0 MCr 306.099 1 KTons
Bat Bear Crew: 7
Bat TL: 11
Cargo: 540, Passengers: 8, Fuel: 212, EP: 10, Agility: 1
Craft:, 1 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Fuel Module
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.741 Cost in Quantity: MCr 251.279
Detailed Description
HULL: 1,000 tons standard, 14,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 2 Engineers, Steward, Medic, 1 Flight Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-1, 1G Manuever, Power plant-1, 10 EP, Agility 1
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: None
CRAFT: 1 x 50 ton Modular Cutter (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30.000), 1 x 30 ton Fuel Module (Cost of MCr 2.000)
FUEL: 212 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 2 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 15.0 Staterooms, 16 Low Berths, 8 High Passengers, 540 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 276.840 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.741), MCr 219.279 in Quantity, plus MCr 32.000 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 120 Weeks Singly, 96 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The Starjammer Procyon was designed and constructed by Eurospace Industries as a replacement for the Procyon Conveyer class bulk cargo carrier.
Ranger-Class Escort Carrier
Ship: Ranger (ex-Freyaspace Starjammer Dubhe)
Class: Ranger
Type: Escort Carrier
Architect: Eurospace Industries - Converted by the Freyaspace Yards on Freya
Tech Level: 11
USP
CVE-A711122-050000-40000-0 MCr 325.965 1 KTons
Bat Bear 4 1 Crew: 67
Bat 4 1 TL: 11
Cargo: 24, Fuel: 270, EP: 10, Agility: 0
Craft: 1 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Fuel Module, 14 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor, 28 x 6T Dagger Attack Fighter
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.940 Cost in Quantity: MCr 267.172
Detailed Description
HULL: 1,000 tons standard, 14,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 2 Engineers, Medic, 5 Gunners, 57 Flight Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-1, 1G Manuever, Power plant-1, 10 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 2 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 1 Battery (Factor-4)
DEFENCES: 8 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 4 Batteries (Factor-5)
CRAFT: , 50 ton Modular Cutter Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 30 ton Fuel Module (Cost of MCr 2), 14 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately), 28 x 6 ton Dagger Attack Fighters (Crew of 1, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 270 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 60 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 34 Staterooms, 24 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 296.904 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.940), MCr 235.172 in Quantity, plus MCr 32.000 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 120 Weeks Singly, 96 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The Starjammer Procyon was designed and constructed by Eurospace Industries as a replacement for the Procyon Conveyer class bulk cargo carrier.
The Starjammer Dubhe and the Starjammer Alkaid were the only two members of the class owned by Freyaspace. both ships were turned over to the Freyan Navy for conversion to escort carriers and were renamed FNS Ranger and FNS Goddard.
Both ships participated in the campaign to liberate the planets Eos and Konkin.
Ship: Starjammer Procyon
Class: Starjammer Procyon
Type: Bulk Cargo Carrier
Architect: Eurospace
Tech Level: 11
USP
MH-A711121-000000-00000-0 MCr 306.099 1 KTons
Bat Bear Crew: 7
Bat TL: 11
Cargo: 540, Passengers: 8, Fuel: 212, EP: 10, Agility: 1
Craft:, 1 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Fuel Module
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.741 Cost in Quantity: MCr 251.279
Detailed Description
HULL: 1,000 tons standard, 14,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 2 Engineers, Steward, Medic, 1 Flight Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-1, 1G Manuever, Power plant-1, 10 EP, Agility 1
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: None
CRAFT: 1 x 50 ton Modular Cutter (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30.000), 1 x 30 ton Fuel Module (Cost of MCr 2.000)
FUEL: 212 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 2 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 15.0 Staterooms, 16 Low Berths, 8 High Passengers, 540 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 276.840 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.741), MCr 219.279 in Quantity, plus MCr 32.000 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 120 Weeks Singly, 96 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The Starjammer Procyon was designed and constructed by Eurospace Industries as a replacement for the Procyon Conveyer class bulk cargo carrier.
Ranger-Class Escort Carrier
Ship: Ranger (ex-Freyaspace Starjammer Dubhe)
Class: Ranger
Type: Escort Carrier
Architect: Eurospace Industries - Converted by the Freyaspace Yards on Freya
Tech Level: 11
USP
CVE-A711122-050000-40000-0 MCr 325.965 1 KTons
Bat Bear 4 1 Crew: 67
Bat 4 1 TL: 11
Cargo: 24, Fuel: 270, EP: 10, Agility: 0
Craft: 1 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Fuel Module, 14 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor, 28 x 6T Dagger Attack Fighter
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.940 Cost in Quantity: MCr 267.172
Detailed Description
HULL: 1,000 tons standard, 14,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 2 Engineers, Medic, 5 Gunners, 57 Flight Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-1, 1G Manuever, Power plant-1, 10 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 2 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 1 Battery (Factor-4)
DEFENCES: 8 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 4 Batteries (Factor-5)
CRAFT: , 50 ton Modular Cutter Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 30 ton Fuel Module (Cost of MCr 2), 14 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately), 28 x 6 ton Dagger Attack Fighters (Crew of 1, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 270 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 60 tons of additional fuel), No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 34 Staterooms, 24 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 296.904 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.940), MCr 235.172 in Quantity, plus MCr 32.000 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 120 Weeks Singly, 96 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The Starjammer Procyon was designed and constructed by Eurospace Industries as a replacement for the Procyon Conveyer class bulk cargo carrier.
The Starjammer Dubhe and the Starjammer Alkaid were the only two members of the class owned by Freyaspace. both ships were turned over to the Freyan Navy for conversion to escort carriers and were renamed FNS Ranger and FNS Goddard.
Both ships participated in the campaign to liberate the planets Eos and Konkin.
Two More Ships
Procyon Lifter-class bulk carrier
Ship: Procyon Lifter
Class: Procyon Lifter
Type: Bulk Carrier
Architect: Eurospace Industries
Tech Level: 11
USP
MH-B721232-000000-00000-0 MCr 868.838 2 KTons
Bat Bear Crew: 26
Bat TL: 11
Cargo: 1,000, Passengers: 8, Fuel: 450, EP: 40, Agility: 1 Shipboard Security Detail: 2
Craft: 2 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Basic Module
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 8.068 Cost in Quantity: MCr 707.470
Detailed Description
HULL: 2,000 tons standard, 28,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: 10 Officers, 16 Ratings
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 1G Manuever, Power plant-2, 40 EP, Agility 1
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/3 Computer
ARMAMENT: None
CRAFT: 2 x 50 ton Modular Cutters (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 1 x 30 ton Basic Module (Cost of MCr 2.000)
FUEL: 450 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 10 tons of additional fuel) No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 34 Staterooms, 10 Low Berths, 8 High Passengers, 1,000 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 814.906 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 8.068), MCr 645.470 in Quantity, plus MCr 62 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 132 Weeks Singly, 106 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: Jump-2 commercial bulk cargo carrier.
Merak-Class Missile Boat Carrier
Ship: Merak (ex-Freyaspace Merak Lifter)
Class: Merak
Type: Missile Boat Carrier
Architect: Built by Eurospace Industries/ Rebuilt by Freyaspace Yards on Freya
Tech Level: 11
USP
AVB-B721232-090000-40000-0 MCr 907.243 2 KTons
Bat Bear 1 5 Crew: 65
Bat 1 5 TL: 11
Cargo: 10, Fuel: 470, EP: 40, Agility: 0, Shipboard Security Detail: 2
Craft: 2 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Basic Module, 2 x 400T Missile Boat, 10 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 8.452 Cost in Quantity: MCr 738.194
Detailed Description
HULL: 2,000 tons standard, 28,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: 11 Officers, 54 Ratings
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 1G Manuever, Power plant-2, 40 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/3 Computer
ARMAMENT: 10 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 5 Batteries (Factor-4)
DEFENCES: 10 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 1 Battery (Factor-9)
CRAFT: 2 x 50 ton Modular Cutters (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 1 x 30 ton Basic Module (Cost of MCr 2.000), 2 x 400 ton Missile Boats (Crew Embarked On Boats, Sold Separately), 10 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 470 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 30 tons of additional fuel) No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 30 Staterooms, 10 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 853.695 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 8.452), MCr 676.194 in Quantity, plus MCr 62 of Carried Support Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 132 Weeks Singly, 106 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: A Terran built Jump-2 bulk carrier which was converted by the Freyan Navy to carry two of its standard 400-dton missile boats and ten of its 15-dton Kurnass class fighter-interceptors for self defense.
Merak Lifter, Alioth Lifter, and Mizar Lifter were part of a group of seven ships named for the stars of the Big Dipper owned by Freyaspace Lines. Four of the ships were seized by the Terran authorities for use in the "Great Evacuation" from Earth of politicians and other important or needed people after the eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano. The other three ships sucessfully returned to Freya and were transferred to the newly formed Freyan Navy for conversion to missile boat carriers.
After conversion the ships were renamed FNS Merak, FNS Alioth, and FNS Mizar. All three ships and their boats and fighters took part in the campaign to liberate the planets Eos and Konkin from Neomarxist control.
_
Ship: Procyon Lifter
Class: Procyon Lifter
Type: Bulk Carrier
Architect: Eurospace Industries
Tech Level: 11
USP
MH-B721232-000000-00000-0 MCr 868.838 2 KTons
Bat Bear Crew: 26
Bat TL: 11
Cargo: 1,000, Passengers: 8, Fuel: 450, EP: 40, Agility: 1 Shipboard Security Detail: 2
Craft: 2 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Basic Module
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 8.068 Cost in Quantity: MCr 707.470
Detailed Description
HULL: 2,000 tons standard, 28,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: 10 Officers, 16 Ratings
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 1G Manuever, Power plant-2, 40 EP, Agility 1
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/3 Computer
ARMAMENT: None
CRAFT: 2 x 50 ton Modular Cutters (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 1 x 30 ton Basic Module (Cost of MCr 2.000)
FUEL: 450 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 10 tons of additional fuel) No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 34 Staterooms, 10 Low Berths, 8 High Passengers, 1,000 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 814.906 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 8.068), MCr 645.470 in Quantity, plus MCr 62 of Carried Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 132 Weeks Singly, 106 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: Jump-2 commercial bulk cargo carrier.
Merak-Class Missile Boat Carrier
Ship: Merak (ex-Freyaspace Merak Lifter)
Class: Merak
Type: Missile Boat Carrier
Architect: Built by Eurospace Industries/ Rebuilt by Freyaspace Yards on Freya
Tech Level: 11
USP
AVB-B721232-090000-40000-0 MCr 907.243 2 KTons
Bat Bear 1 5 Crew: 65
Bat 1 5 TL: 11
Cargo: 10, Fuel: 470, EP: 40, Agility: 0, Shipboard Security Detail: 2
Craft: 2 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Basic Module, 2 x 400T Missile Boat, 10 x 15T Kurnass Fighter-Interceptor
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 8.452 Cost in Quantity: MCr 738.194
Detailed Description
HULL: 2,000 tons standard, 28,000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: 11 Officers, 54 Ratings
ENGINEERING: Jump-2, 1G Manuever, Power plant-2, 40 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/3 Computer
ARMAMENT: 10 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 5 Batteries (Factor-4)
DEFENCES: 10 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 1 Battery (Factor-9)
CRAFT: 2 x 50 ton Modular Cutters (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 30), 1 x 30 ton Basic Module (Cost of MCr 2.000), 2 x 400 ton Missile Boats (Crew Embarked On Boats, Sold Separately), 10 x 15 ton Kurnass Fighter-Interceptors (Crew of 2, Sold Separately)
FUEL: 470 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance, plus 30 tons of additional fuel) No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 30 Staterooms, 10 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 853.695 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 8.452), MCr 676.194 in Quantity, plus MCr 62 of Carried Support Craft
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 132 Weeks Singly, 106 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: A Terran built Jump-2 bulk carrier which was converted by the Freyan Navy to carry two of its standard 400-dton missile boats and ten of its 15-dton Kurnass class fighter-interceptors for self defense.
Merak Lifter, Alioth Lifter, and Mizar Lifter were part of a group of seven ships named for the stars of the Big Dipper owned by Freyaspace Lines. Four of the ships were seized by the Terran authorities for use in the "Great Evacuation" from Earth of politicians and other important or needed people after the eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano. The other three ships sucessfully returned to Freya and were transferred to the newly formed Freyan Navy for conversion to missile boat carriers.
After conversion the ships were renamed FNS Merak, FNS Alioth, and FNS Mizar. All three ships and their boats and fighters took part in the campaign to liberate the planets Eos and Konkin from Neomarxist control.
_
Not Quite A Repost
Dagger-Class Attack Fighter
Ship: FA-6 Dagger
Class: FA-6 Dagger
Type: Attack Fighter
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 9
USP
FA-0106611-000000-00002-0 MCr 15.745 6 Tons
Bat Bear 1 Crew: 1
Bat 1 TL: 9
Cargo: 0.040, Fuel: 0.360, EP: 0.360, Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.157 Cost in Quantity: MCr 12.596
Detailed Description
HULL: 6 tons standard, 84 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration
CREW: Pilot
ENGINEERING: 6G Manuever, Power plant-6, 0.360 EP, Agility 6
AVIONICS: No Bridge Installed, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Triple Missile Turret organised into 1 Battery (Factor-2)
FUEL: 0.360 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance), On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 1 Acceleration Couch, 0.040 Ton Cargo
COST: MCr 15.902 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.157), MCr 12.596 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 2 Weeks Singly, 2 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: A very light weight missile armed fighter simular to the EADS F-9 Gnat. Some critics go as far as to accuse the Freyani of ripping off the basic design of the Gnat for their own use.
The Dagger is carried as the primary anti-ship and ground support fighter aboard the fleet and assault carriers of the Confederation of Ursa Major (Freya Pact) Navy.
_
Ship: FA-6 Dagger
Class: FA-6 Dagger
Type: Attack Fighter
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 9
USP
FA-0106611-000000-00002-0 MCr 15.745 6 Tons
Bat Bear 1 Crew: 1
Bat 1 TL: 9
Cargo: 0.040, Fuel: 0.360, EP: 0.360, Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.157 Cost in Quantity: MCr 12.596
Detailed Description
HULL: 6 tons standard, 84 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration
CREW: Pilot
ENGINEERING: 6G Manuever, Power plant-6, 0.360 EP, Agility 6
AVIONICS: No Bridge Installed, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Triple Missile Turret organised into 1 Battery (Factor-2)
FUEL: 0.360 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance), On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 1 Acceleration Couch, 0.040 Ton Cargo
COST: MCr 15.902 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.157), MCr 12.596 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 2 Weeks Singly, 2 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: A very light weight missile armed fighter simular to the EADS F-9 Gnat. Some critics go as far as to accuse the Freyani of ripping off the basic design of the Gnat for their own use.
The Dagger is carried as the primary anti-ship and ground support fighter aboard the fleet and assault carriers of the Confederation of Ursa Major (Freya Pact) Navy.
_
Usually A Nice Thing To Have In Your Sky.
Kurnass-Class Fighter-Interceptor
Ship: FI-15 Kurnass
Class: FI-15 Kurnass
Type: Fighter Interceptor
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 9
USP
FI-0106D11-000000-10001-0 MCr 31.425 15 Tons
Bat Bear 1 1 Crew: 2
Bat 1 1 TL: 9
Cargo: 0.650, Fuel: 1.950, EP: 1.950, Agility: 6, Pulse Lasers
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.314 Cost in Quantity: MCr 25.140
Detailed Description
HULL: 15 tons standard, 210 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Gunner
ENGINEERING: 6G Manuever, Power plant-13, 1.950 EP, Agility 6
AVIONICS: No Bridge Installed, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Pulse Laser (Factor-1), 1 Missile Rack (Factor-1).
FUEL: 1.950 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance), On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 2 Acceleration Couches, 0.650 Ton Cargo
COST: MCr 31.739 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.314), MCr 25.140 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 8 Weeks Singly, 7 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: Freyani heavy fighter interceptor. Originally developed by the Freyaspace Corporation as a planetary defense fighter-interceptor under the designation of Project J-15 (Jäger, 15 tons). The Kurnass was deployed as the primary heavy fighter aboard fleet carriers of the Confederation of Ursa Major (Freya Pact) Navy and as a planetary defense interceptor for all member worlds of the Confederation. The Kurnass saw action in all three of the space battles over Freya.
The latest version in service is built to the Tech Level 11 standard.
A slightly lighter laser-only version was built as a prototype, but was rejected for service.
Kurnass (Hammer) was the Israeli designation of the McDonnell Douglas F-4E fighter-bomber in Israeli service.
_
Ship: FI-15 Kurnass
Class: FI-15 Kurnass
Type: Fighter Interceptor
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 9
USP
FI-0106D11-000000-10001-0 MCr 31.425 15 Tons
Bat Bear 1 1 Crew: 2
Bat 1 1 TL: 9
Cargo: 0.650, Fuel: 1.950, EP: 1.950, Agility: 6, Pulse Lasers
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.314 Cost in Quantity: MCr 25.140
Detailed Description
HULL: 15 tons standard, 210 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Gunner
ENGINEERING: 6G Manuever, Power plant-13, 1.950 EP, Agility 6
AVIONICS: No Bridge Installed, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Pulse Laser (Factor-1), 1 Missile Rack (Factor-1).
FUEL: 1.950 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance), On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 2 Acceleration Couches, 0.650 Ton Cargo
COST: MCr 31.739 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.314), MCr 25.140 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 8 Weeks Singly, 7 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: Freyani heavy fighter interceptor. Originally developed by the Freyaspace Corporation as a planetary defense fighter-interceptor under the designation of Project J-15 (Jäger, 15 tons). The Kurnass was deployed as the primary heavy fighter aboard fleet carriers of the Confederation of Ursa Major (Freya Pact) Navy and as a planetary defense interceptor for all member worlds of the Confederation. The Kurnass saw action in all three of the space battles over Freya.
The latest version in service is built to the Tech Level 11 standard.
A slightly lighter laser-only version was built as a prototype, but was rejected for service.
Kurnass (Hammer) was the Israeli designation of the McDonnell Douglas F-4E fighter-bomber in Israeli service.
_
Something You Don't Want To See In Your Sky.
Viking-Class Assault Shuttle
Ship: Viking
Class: Viking
Type: Landing Craft Assault (LCA)
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 10
USP
LCA-0104421-000000-30000-0 MCr 63.650 95 Tons
Bat Bear 1 Crew: 2
Bat 1 TL: 10
Cargo: 0.350, Fuel: 3.8, EP: 3.8 Agility: 0
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.637 Cost in Quantity: MCr 50.920
Detailed Description
HULL: 95 tons standard, 1,330 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Gunner
ENGINEERING: Jump-0, 4G Maneuver, Power plant-4, 3.8 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Triple Beam Laser Turret organized into 1 Battery (Factor-3)
FUEL: 3.8 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance), On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 16 Acceleration Couches, 0.350 Ton Cargo
USER DEFINED COMPONENTS: 1 Assault Module (40 tons, Sold Separately)
COST: MCr 64.287 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.637), MCr 50.920 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 37 Weeks Singly, 29 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS:
A rapid interface craft designed for use by the Marine Corps and Navy of the Confederation of Ursa Major (a.k.a. the Freya Pact).
The Viking-class assault shuttle (LCA) carries a 40-dton rapid deployment module (RDM) in its cargo hold which carries a "stick" of four standard (8-ton) G-Carriers or similar sized military grav-vehicles. The dorsal cargo compartment hatch opens to release the stick of G-Carriers. The RDM is often dropped in space for later recovery while the Viking picks up the next RDM for the next wave of the planetary assault.
The Viking may also carry a 40-dton bulk cargo module or a combination of standard military shipping containers up to 40-dtons which may be loaded through the rear cargo hatch.
The military standard bulk cargo module is a 40-dton pressurized box which is manufactured in quantity for the Freyani armed forces for MCr 1.6 each. The standard Freyani military 5 and 10 ton shipping containers are also designed to fit together in the place of the bulk cargo module. One of the odd consequences of this is that Freyani merchant vessels are now designed to carry the Freyani military standard shipping containers, much to the annoyance of non-Freyani port masters and ground crews.
A 40-dton fuel tank container for refueling operations by the Viking is also available for MCr 0.4 each.
Postscriptual Comment
Actually, it would have made more sense to bundle together a bunch of standard cargo containers to form a 40-dton block and then design the G-Carriers so that 4 of them could fit inside the block with enough room for tactical embarkation and deployment.
Perhaps the Freyani aren't always right...
_
Ship: Viking
Class: Viking
Type: Landing Craft Assault (LCA)
Architect: Freyaspace Corporation
Tech Level: 10
USP
LCA-0104421-000000-30000-0 MCr 63.650 95 Tons
Bat Bear 1 Crew: 2
Bat 1 TL: 10
Cargo: 0.350, Fuel: 3.8, EP: 3.8 Agility: 0
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.637 Cost in Quantity: MCr 50.920
Detailed Description
HULL: 95 tons standard, 1,330 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Gunner
ENGINEERING: Jump-0, 4G Maneuver, Power plant-4, 3.8 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Triple Beam Laser Turret organized into 1 Battery (Factor-3)
FUEL: 3.8 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance), On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 16 Acceleration Couches, 0.350 Ton Cargo
USER DEFINED COMPONENTS: 1 Assault Module (40 tons, Sold Separately)
COST: MCr 64.287 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.637), MCr 50.920 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 37 Weeks Singly, 29 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS:
A rapid interface craft designed for use by the Marine Corps and Navy of the Confederation of Ursa Major (a.k.a. the Freya Pact).
The Viking-class assault shuttle (LCA) carries a 40-dton rapid deployment module (RDM) in its cargo hold which carries a "stick" of four standard (8-ton) G-Carriers or similar sized military grav-vehicles. The dorsal cargo compartment hatch opens to release the stick of G-Carriers. The RDM is often dropped in space for later recovery while the Viking picks up the next RDM for the next wave of the planetary assault.
The Viking may also carry a 40-dton bulk cargo module or a combination of standard military shipping containers up to 40-dtons which may be loaded through the rear cargo hatch.
The military standard bulk cargo module is a 40-dton pressurized box which is manufactured in quantity for the Freyani armed forces for MCr 1.6 each. The standard Freyani military 5 and 10 ton shipping containers are also designed to fit together in the place of the bulk cargo module. One of the odd consequences of this is that Freyani merchant vessels are now designed to carry the Freyani military standard shipping containers, much to the annoyance of non-Freyani port masters and ground crews.
A 40-dton fuel tank container for refueling operations by the Viking is also available for MCr 0.4 each.
Postscriptual Comment
Actually, it would have made more sense to bundle together a bunch of standard cargo containers to form a 40-dton block and then design the G-Carriers so that 4 of them could fit inside the block with enough room for tactical embarkation and deployment.
Perhaps the Freyani aren't always right...
_
Friday, July 20, 2007
An Intellectual Foundation
Many of the colonies that were settled in the Private Universe Mark II were established by philosophical groups seeking to follow their own distinct way of life.
The planet Freya in the 10 Ursae Majoris system was discovered and settled by members of a group called the Wayfarer Society. The Wayfarers followed an ethical and political philosophy laid out in The Way Of Being and other works by American author Evelyn Keller.
Keller, who was heavily influenced the the works of Ayn Rand and Robert A. Heinlein, was originally a blogger who gained an audience in the political chaos after the events of September 4, 2008 and the civil and global wars that followed.
During his lifetime Keller wrote extensively on many topics.
And so on...
_
The planet Freya in the 10 Ursae Majoris system was discovered and settled by members of a group called the Wayfarer Society. The Wayfarers followed an ethical and political philosophy laid out in The Way Of Being and other works by American author Evelyn Keller.
Keller, who was heavily influenced the the works of Ayn Rand and Robert A. Heinlein, was originally a blogger who gained an audience in the political chaos after the events of September 4, 2008 and the civil and global wars that followed.
During his lifetime Keller wrote extensively on many topics.
The words liberty, security, and order are in a civilized society simply three ways to describe the same condition, a state where the ordinary individual is free to live his own life in accordance to his best rational judgment.
-- On Government
Democracy doesn't work if everyone else wants a piece of you.
-- Ibid
It really helps when the enemy is being stupid.
-- The Concept Of War
The term "creative nonviolence" is a typical example of the abuse of language that is normally practiced by the parasite mentality. In reality it is a form of coercion. It is in practical effect a mode of combat.
-- Moral Decisions In Warfare
And so on...
_
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Quote of the Day
One thing that we've noticed is that in most cases the politicians who are dumb enough to pick a fight with us are also dumb enough to systematically oppress the most rational and productive part of their own planetary population. This allows us to carry out an operation in the Liberation Paradigm and adding that world to the Pact, instead of merely carrying out a reprisal in the "bomb them back into the stone age" mode.
-- Admiral Elizabeth Weymouth, Combined Fleet of the Freya Pact.
_
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Another Ship
People's Navy Ship Ward Churchill
Ship: Ward Churchill
Class: Procyon Conveyor
Type: Escort Carrier
Architect: Eurospace Industries
Tech Level: 10
CVE-A711122-050000-40000-2 MCr 326.934 1 KTons
Bat Bear 4 1 Crew: 71
Bat 4 1 TL: 10
Cargo: 20 Fuel: 344 EP: 10 Agility: 0
Craft: 60 x 6T Fighter, 1 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Fuel
Module
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.949 Cost in Quantity: MCr 267.947
Detailed Description
HULL: 1,000 tons standard, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 2 Engineers, Medic, 5 Gunners, 61 Flight
Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-1, 1G Manuever, Power plant-1, 10 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 2 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 1 Battery
(Factor-4)
DEFENCES: 8 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 4 Batteries
(Factor-5)
CRAFT: 60 x 6 ton Fighters (Crew of 1, Cost not accounted for in
this design), 1 x 50 ton Modular Cutter (Crew of 1, MCr 30), 1 x
30 ton Fuel Module (MCr 2.000)
FUEL: 292 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 56 days endurance, plus
62 tons of additional fuel) No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel
Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 36 Staterooms, 20 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 297.883 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.949),
MCr 235.947 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 120 Weeks Singly, 96 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The PNS Ward Churchill was originally constructed by Eurospace Industries as a Procyon Conveyor class bulk cargo carrier, the Cygnus Conveyor.
In the chaos following the Yellowstone Extinction Event on Earth the Cygnus Conveyor was taken over by the authorities on Aurore and converted to an interim fighter carrier, the Aurore. After the completion of Auroran navy's first purpose built fleet carrier, the Emperor Napoleon I, the Aurore was declared surplus and put up for sale. "Somehow" the Aurore ended up in the hands of the People's Democratic State of Konkin under the new designation of PNS Ward Churchill. Named after a famous socialist academic who was executed in the early days of the Omaha Pact.
The PNS Ward Churchill was used in the invasion of the Objectivist colony world of Eos. It was destroyed off of Eos by a Freyani Stormbringer class missile boat, the Vassar's Bane.
Ship: F-9
Class: F-9
Type: Fighter
Architect: European Aerospace Defence Systems
Tech Level: 9
F-0106611-000000-00002-0 MCr 15.745 6 Tons
Bat Bear 1 Crew: 1
Bat 1 TL: 9
Fuel: 0.360 EP: 0.360 Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.157 Cost in Quantity: MCr 12.596
Detailed Description
HULL: 6 tons standard, 84 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge
Configuration
CREW: Pilot
ENGINEERING: Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-6, 0.360 EP,
Agility 6
AVIONICS: No Bridge Installed, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Triple Missile Turret organised into 1 Battery
(Factor-2)
FUEL: 0.360 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 1 Acceleration Couch, 0.040 Ton Cargo
COST: MCr 15.902 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.157), MCr
12.596 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 2 Weeks Singly, 2 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: A basic fighter that was designed for construction and maintenance in colonial facilities.
_
Ship: Ward Churchill
Class: Procyon Conveyor
Type: Escort Carrier
Architect: Eurospace Industries
Tech Level: 10
CVE-A711122-050000-40000-2 MCr 326.934 1 KTons
Bat Bear 4 1 Crew: 71
Bat 4 1 TL: 10
Cargo: 20 Fuel: 344 EP: 10 Agility: 0
Craft: 60 x 6T Fighter, 1 x 50T Modular Cutter, 1 x 30T Fuel
Module
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Architects Fee: MCr 2.949 Cost in Quantity: MCr 267.947
Detailed Description
HULL: 1,000 tons standard, Dispersed Structure Configuration
CREW: Pilot, Navigator, 2 Engineers, Medic, 5 Gunners, 61 Flight
Crew
ENGINEERING: Jump-1, 1G Manuever, Power plant-1, 10 EP, Agility 0
AVIONICS: Bridge, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 2 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 1 Battery
(Factor-4)
DEFENCES: 8 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 4 Batteries
(Factor-5)
CRAFT: 60 x 6 ton Fighters (Crew of 1, Cost not accounted for in
this design), 1 x 50 ton Modular Cutter (Crew of 1, MCr 30), 1 x
30 ton Fuel Module (MCr 2.000)
FUEL: 292 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 56 days endurance, plus
62 tons of additional fuel) No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel
Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 36 Staterooms, 20 Tons Cargo
COST: MCr 297.883 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 2.949),
MCr 235.947 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 120 Weeks Singly, 96 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: The PNS Ward Churchill was originally constructed by Eurospace Industries as a Procyon Conveyor class bulk cargo carrier, the Cygnus Conveyor.
In the chaos following the Yellowstone Extinction Event on Earth the Cygnus Conveyor was taken over by the authorities on Aurore and converted to an interim fighter carrier, the Aurore. After the completion of Auroran navy's first purpose built fleet carrier, the Emperor Napoleon I, the Aurore was declared surplus and put up for sale. "Somehow" the Aurore ended up in the hands of the People's Democratic State of Konkin under the new designation of PNS Ward Churchill. Named after a famous socialist academic who was executed in the early days of the Omaha Pact.
The PNS Ward Churchill was used in the invasion of the Objectivist colony world of Eos. It was destroyed off of Eos by a Freyani Stormbringer class missile boat, the Vassar's Bane.
Ship: F-9
Class: F-9
Type: Fighter
Architect: European Aerospace Defence Systems
Tech Level: 9
F-0106611-000000-00002-0 MCr 15.745 6 Tons
Bat Bear 1 Crew: 1
Bat 1 TL: 9
Fuel: 0.360 EP: 0.360 Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops
Architects Fee: MCr 0.157 Cost in Quantity: MCr 12.596
Detailed Description
HULL: 6 tons standard, 84 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge
Configuration
CREW: Pilot
ENGINEERING: Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-6, 0.360 EP,
Agility 6
AVIONICS: No Bridge Installed, Model/2 Computer
ARMAMENT: 1 Triple Missile Turret organised into 1 Battery
(Factor-2)
FUEL: 0.360 Tons Fuel (28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant
MISCELLANEOUS: 1 Acceleration Couch, 0.040 Ton Cargo
COST: MCr 15.902 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.157), MCr
12.596 in Quantity
CONSTRUCTION TIME: 2 Weeks Singly, 2 Weeks in Quantity
COMMENTS: A basic fighter that was designed for construction and maintenance in colonial facilities.
_
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Quote of the Day
If anything the forces of the Freya Pact have proven one thing, you don't find atheists in foxholes, you find them in orbit bombing your home planet back into the stone age.
-- Former Captain George Dubya Smith, Republic of New Texas Navy.
_
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