OBT Forum

Okay.  I need someone to check my math and my thinking processes here, if you folks don’t mind.  This is for a new, more hard-core Clan Invasion AU that I am working on.  But we will get to that in a moment.

Some background first. 

When the debate began on what would become the Dragoon Comprise in 3000, things proceed according to canon . . . with the following exception (a rather large exception).  In this AU, the Khan of Clan Star Adder (name needed) brings up the matter of logistics for a future invasion.  In addition to the dispatch of Wolf’s Dragoons, the Adders force a vote on establishing a forward base in the Chainelane Isles to support the Invasion, when it is launched. 

Citing the vast distance between the Homeworlds and the Inner Sphere, the Adders successfully argued that a source of supply must be close at hand; while many critics of the plan derided the Adder caution, the opportunity to seize new holdings appealed to many Crusaders, whereas several nominal Warden Clans supported the measure because they recognized the sheer difficulty of conducting the invasion at such great distances.  Supported by the Cloud Cobras, Diamond Sharks, Ghost Bears, Goliath Scorpions, Hell’s Horses, Nova Cats, and Snow Ravens, the Adder Khan was able to override the objections of Khan Kerlin Ward of Clan Wolf.

Operation Shining Dawn would consist of three components:  the conquest of the Chainelane Isles and subsequent integration into Clan society, the establishment of a Clan manufacturing complex on those worlds, and the establishment of a permanent series of way-stations and Jump-Ship stages between the Homeworlds and the Isles.

PHASE I (Occupation and Integration)

A small Clan force of older SLDF BattleMechs and Aerospace Fighters (using equipment from reserve caches) would be dispatched to seize and defend the ten inhabited systems of the Chainelane Isles.  Trials between the Clans resulted in the following enclaves being established in 3005.

Vannes:  Clan Jade Falcon
Ingvolstand:  Clan Star Adder; Clan Cloud Cobra
Idrmach:  Clan Wolf; Clan Coyote
Fredotto:  Clan Smoke Jaguar
Paran:  Clan Ghost Bear; Clan Snow Raven
Syrstart:  Clan Diamond Shark; Clan Hell's Horse
Haublan:  Clan Steel Viper; Clan Burrock
Far Reach:  Clan Nova Cat; Clan Ice Hellion
Chaine Cluster:  Clan Fire Mandrill; Clan Blood Spirit
Rondane:  Clan Goliath Scorpion

The initial invasion of the Isles was successfully accomplished in less than a week of fighting across the ten systems; then the Clans began to integrate the existing population into their Castes.  This experience soon tasked the adaptability of the Clans, leading to all of the Clans putting more and more second-line and garrison forces in place as they fought against the sullen Isleanders who resisted conversion to Clan society.  Some Clans were more successful at this, while others found themselves involved in a bloody struggle that escalated into brutality and massacres.

Still, the relatively small population of the worlds within the Isles made this matter a foregone conclusion.  Building on their experience in the Tanite Worlds, the Cobras and Burrocks quickly took the lead in establishing order . . . which many Clans then followed.  Others (notably the Jaguars) did not.  Regardless, by 3027, the subjugation of Isles was complete, save for isolated terrorist activities.  An entire generation had been born and raised to adulthood under the rule of the Clans, and little by little, the Isles were converted into strongholds of Clan Law.

However, the sheer length of time that it took for the Clans to fully establish control and integrate the Isleanders into their culture and society gave many Khans pause over a full-scale invasion of the Inner Sphere.  They worried that the far larger numbers present there might prove too much to absorb without shattering what little cohesion the Clans shared; other leaders scoffed at such concerns, noting that none of the Clans in the Isles had committed more than one or two Clusters of second-line troops and a handful of Garrison forces.  Surely, they claimed, that the full might of the Touman would be able to cow resistance far more quickly.

PHASE II (Establishment of Manufacturing and Support Complexes)

Phase II began almost immediately after the seizure of the Isles, although to differing degrees.  While the Isles had been inhabited for centuries, the native Isleanders had a very low level of technology (relatively speaking) vis-à-vis the Clans.  It took the work of decades to fully raise the technology level of the natives to a level comparable to that of the Homeworlds, but by 3027, each world of the Isles possessed the same level of technological achievement as the remainder of the Clan holdings.  The natives had barely begun to scratch exploiting the natural resources of their worlds and (in many cases) had used technology that polluted their environment.  Clan Scientists and Technicians and Merchants and Laborers spent decades correcting the course of centuries, locating mineral resources, building infrastructure, and fully integrating the population.

In this, certain Clans made far greater progress than others, as the Cobras, Sharks, Bears, Scorpions, Falcons, Cats, Ravens, Adders, and Wolves transplanted hundreds of thousands of civilians from the Homeworlds to their new holdings.  These Clans were rewarded as their new systems became profitable; the other Clans found their progress stalled as they tried to accomplish the same thing, but with a minimum of investment and a heavy reliance on the unskilled (and often illiterate) natives.

Despite those setbacks, Phase II was a success.  Every Clan managed to establish a manufacturing complex in the Isles.  The Ravens built a major shipyard (not quite as large as the Yards at Lum) orbiting Paran; while this complex was not capable of building WarShips, it was able to service them and conduct repairs.  DropShips and JumpShips could both be constructed at the facility.

Meanwhile, munitions factories, BattleMech and OmniMech production complexes, armament factories, Elemental Battle Armor production centers, Aerospace and OmniFighter manufacturing plants, small arms plants, and vehicle factories sprang up across the Isles.  Vast warehouse complexes were built and supplies were stockpiled in tremendous quantities. 

It was not forgotten that the Isles had been conquered only as a stepping stone.  To form a military depot and forward base from which the Clans would triumphantly return to the Inner Sphere.  By 3030, the Clans had begun to transfer front-line troops to the Isles, beginning a build-up that would continue until the launch of Operation Revival in 3049.

In a radical move, several Clans began construction on ground-based SDS systems on their possessions in the Isles in the late 3030s.  Although far from complete, these orbital defenses provide their enclaves with some protection from hostile attack from space.

PHASE III (Linking the Homeworlds and the Isles)

Phase III began in 3007 with the ultimate goal of connecting the two isolated sections of Clan space into one (almost) unified whole.

There were many detractors of this part of the plan.  Some very vocal critics voiced concerns that permanent way-stations and a command circuit linking the Isles and the Homeworlds would give (one day) the Inner Sphere the opportunity to quickly locate the Homeworlds and conduct military operations there.  But, the proponents used the Clan’s own arrogance against them . . . accusing those critics of being cowards who feared the Inner Sphere. Scores of Trials of Grievance were fought over the issue, and three separate Trials of Refusal; but in the end, the Council of Khans approved the allocation of resources to the project.

The system of Dagda (X coordinate -129.63; Y coordinate 1590.24) in the Pentagon was selected to be the starting point, linked to the end-point at Ingvolstand (X coordinate -153.17; Y coordinate 574.24); these two worlds formed the shortest path between the Homeworlds and the Isles, spanning slightly more than 1,016 light-years.  Christened as the Aaron DeChavillier Corridor, the project would take decades to complete.

Thirty-three stations were constructed at intervals of 27.46 light-years between Dagda and Ingvolstand.  These stations were placed in deep space, avoiding all contact with planetary systems; although this prohibited the stations from relying upon solar sails to generate power, it was done to ease the discomfort of the traditionalists over this line of breadcrumbs.  Each station was massive, roughly the same size as an Olympus-class, but relied upon their fusion generators to charge the energy storage batteries instead of solar sails.  Equipped with a HPG transmitter, these stations would serve as way-points, fueling stations, repair stations, and communication links between the Homeworlds and the Isles.

All thirty-five stages (Dagda, Stations ADCCS-01 through ADCCS-33, and Ingvolstand) were assigned four Odyssey-class JumpShips (140 in total) that provided a quick means of transport along the Corridor.  Typically, a pair of the JumpShips would start from Dagda and jump to next station in the chain.  Upon arrival, their DropShips would detach and dock with fresh JumpShips that would then jump to the next station.  With transfer times requiring approximately one-half hour, up to eight DropShips could delivered through the stages in the Corridor in approximately sixteen and one half hours.  As each Odyssey is outfitted with lithium-fusion batteries, the Corridor is able to conduct such a transit twice per week (every 3.5 days) per JumpShip pair, hauling resources, personnel, supplies, or up to a Cluster of troopers in each transit.  At maximum capacity, the Corridor is able to initiate one full-length transit of eight DropShips every 42 hours.  However, such transits are rigorously scheduled and can be altered only for the direst of circumstances.

The high-speed command circuit of the Corridor is regularly used by the Clans in transferring personnel and material between the Isles and the Homeworlds, but ships (especially WarShips) are still called upon to make the journey themselves.  To keep these vessels supplied on the long voyage (34 jumps with a minimum spacing of 3.5 days between jumps for a total transit time of 115.5 days Dagda-Ingvolstand), each station along the Corridor has vast quantities of fuel, provisions, and spare parts available.  Each station is also assigned at least one tug to tow disabled ships.

Construction of the corridor was a massive undertaking, requiring the major commitment of the Ravens (and indeed, ALL of the Clans), with the final link in the chain completed in 3044.  Since the official opening of the Corridor, the flow of resources from the Isles to the Homeworlds (and troops, war material, and supplies vice-versa) has increased dramatically.  Station and JumpShip crews of the Corridor are drawn from the castes of every Clan, with each contributing roughly 5.8% of the personnel and ships required for the Corridor to operate.

MA